The Three - Before the Storm
by Lyou
Summary: 1st part of the series The Three. Post StrikerS. Reality is not perfect most of the time. Sometimes, it does not matter how hard people try, or maybe it is how hard they try that lead them to the destiny... Hints of NanoFate. Epilogue updated! Happy holiday :)
1. Prologue

A/N: Hello everyone. I am new to writing English fanfic. I was a MGLN writer before, publishing stories written in other language. After reading so many wonderful fanfics for the past few days, I decided to restart an old fanfic I wrote few years ago and this time, in English.

First thing I would like to point out is... well, there are probably many grammar mistakes or misuse of vocabularies in the story. I hope anyone who find the error would kindly point them out to me?  
Second of all, this fanfic is based on the time when Vivid had not come out yet. You can treat it like AU I suppose if you like.

Any reviews are very much appreciated and I hope you will enjoy it :)

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**Prologue**

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She blinked once.

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The woman with long soft black hair was smiling at her warmly, just like she had always been. Her arm extended to reach her, like she had always done. It felt so natural.

Yet the girl wondered how long it had been since the last time she saw her like this.

She struggled to speak, but there was no voice.

In fact, she couldn't quite breathe even; her body ached all over the place, and it felt like there were thousands of tiny niddles pocking in her throat. Of course she could not voice. It was silly, but worth a try.

The woman's gaze turned sad, and the girl wondered if it was because of what happened to her.

She turned around to look at another woman standing behind her.

That woman- the girl raised her head slightly to be able to see her face- had long, shining blonde hair and eyes that glisten like red wine.

As their eyes met, a flash of emotion crossed those beautiful eyes. It was strange. The girl had known this woman for long enough a time, but she had never seen her like this.

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_-I am sorry._

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The blond whispered. Her voice was soft but filled with regret.

The woman with black hair only nodded slightly at the apology with an understanding smile.

Then, she turned back and looked at the girl.

_-Be strong, my dear child._

She caressed her cheek lovingly, and landed a kiss on her forehead.

Her voice was warm still, but was becoming more and more distant.

_-Be strong._

_._

_No, wait!_

_._

_._

She blinked again, twice.

The black-haired woman had disappeared… No, she had never been here for the whole time. It was an illusion. The woman could not have been here.

She knew it better than anyone else on this world, but it still hurt to even think about that.

The blond was all that remained from the previous scene, but she was not smiling at her anymore.

The burgundy eyes still reflected the image of the girl, but they were hard like stones.

She was flying just a few feet off the ground, looking directly at the girl with an expression like the glacier in the unadministrated planets that no humans but powerful magic beings could survive, cold and merciless.

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The girl looked up to the eyes like ruby, struggling to speak.

"Fate-san..."

She called out to the blond, with such respect and love, but shadowed by the pain and confusion for what was displayed.

_-Why?_

Her throat was so dry that the words came out like a hiss. The remaining sentence trapped inside her.

_-What had happened?_

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If the blond had felt anything from hearing the girl's call, she did not show it at all.

Was it because she no longer cared? Or was it because of some reasons far beyond her understanding?

The girl wondered, but knew she might never find the answer.

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The blond landed few feet in front of her. The shear of the saber glowed softly in her right hand, the dark red liquid dripping down to the ground, making the scene rather horrifying.

The girl watched as the blond walked slowly and calmly toward her and raised the saber. She still didn't understand. She had so many questions that she wanted to ask the blond.

Out of desperation, she shut her eyes tightly, although she had once been told not to and she had promised she won't.

It was the end, after all. And one would not care something so small at the end. Right?

She waited silently for the strike to come, for death to claim her and bring her to whom she longed to see.

It would end now, and there would not be any more need to understand all the things that didn't make sense, to question herself again and again whether she had done wrong, or to wonder in every sleepless night about what life would be like if something just happened differently.

She thought so truly, and accepted it. She was in peace and almost reached out to embrace death.

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But the strike never came.

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Instead, there was a loud clashing noise of metal being smashed against each other.

She jumped a little in surprise, her heart pounding as she heard the footsteps approaching from behind.

The footsteps stopped, and the familiar voice of her superior appeared right in front of her.

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"I think this is more than enough. Don't you think, Fate-chan?"

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She looked up, all too quickly that it hurt her neck. But she did not care.

The expression on her superior's face was more than heavy and serious. Her barrier jacket was on, which the girl thought, was quite unusual.

The elder mage had her staff lower on her side, but she was gripping it so tightly that her fingers were white.

In front of them stood the pink-haired woman the girl was also very familiar with.

The pink knight had brought a stop to the fatal blow that would end the girl's life with her own sword.

Her eyes fixed on the blonde's burgundy eyes, but she did not say a word.

"Hayate-san..."

The girl knew she probably shouldn't, but still opened her mouth in attempt to say something.

And just like that, her brain refused to function after all the damages, and her throat felt like rough sandpapers. And that was all that came out.

The brunette did not avert her gaze to meet the girl's, but the look on her face was all she needed.

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"Is it?"

On the other hand, the blond seemed not at all surprised by the interference of the dual, or the question.

She held her device steadily, and casually reciprocated the question, as if her friend was talking about the weather.

Her tone was calm and gentle, but still too cold.

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"Yes. You have made your point clear."

Her superior replied with the same tone. It was almost like the blond, but the girl knew better.

She can hear, no, can _feel_ the pain, the sadness, and the desperation in her superior's words. They were best friends.

She knew, because that was exactly what she felt.

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"Have I?"

The blond just reciprocated the question again, but this time thoughtfully, like she might be considering the answer herself.

And with that, they fell in silence. The brunette looked like she had so many responses, but none of which were said. She probably didn't need to.

After a moment, the blond seemed to come to her own conclusion.

Her eyes softened a little as she calmly retreated beyond the reach of the swordswoman, though the later showed no interest of catching up.

"Well then," the blond sighed in satisfaction, and gave them a sincere smile. It was a smile that made them wanted to cry. "until next time. Hayate, Signum, and..."

Her eyes met the girl's.

For a moment, she thought everything had come back to how it was before.

She could still remember the first time this woman called her name, with kindness and warmth and gentleness. It was just like right now.

"Salvia."

_-No, please, wait!_

The girl tried to call out, but it was already too late. The blond was gone in a flash of gold like when she came.

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There were many things the girl did not understand, but one thing she was certain of was the ability of the mage, the lightning mage they were all so proud of once upon a time.

But it was lost, along with many other precious things.

Her head dropped, a trial of warm tears rushing down her cheeks uncontrollably.

A pair of hands landed on her shoulder, squeezing lightly as if to give her strength. Her head dropped even lower.

She was ashamed of herself indeed.

The one that needed the comfort the most was not her, it was supposed to be...

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"I failed." She whispered, her voice breaking and her body shaking. "I failed."

"I did not expect you to win this battle, Salvia. As a matter of fact, I would not expect anyone to defeat Fate-chan at her current... state."

The pause was obvious, the unspoken words loud and clear.

The girl knew what her superior was trying to say, but she just shook her head, still trembling.

It was not like she didn't want to accept the kindness the other showed, but she needed to say it.

"I failed."

She repeated once again, this time her words almost inaudible.

"I failed all who had hope on this battle. I failed Mother. I failed you. I failed Nanoha-san, and"

She took a deep breath.

"I failed Fate-san."

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It was more than a match that she lost.

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"... it's okay."

After a few seconds of pause, the brunette spoke again, but her voice was no longer calm.

The girl felt a few drop of warm liquid on her shoulder, and she wasn't sure whether the elder was trying to convince her, or she truly believed so.

"It's okay. We will see her again, and we will figure it all out. You did well. You tried."

Hearing this, the girl closed her eyes, still sobbing, but there was no reason now for her to keep fighting to stay conscious.

She dropped face-first to the ground, but did not really feel the pain.

Weariness creep up to her like a snake, slowly erasing her thoughts and senses away.

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- What do I do?

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She felt a pair of strong arms that belonged to the pink-haired swordswoman picking her up from the ground.

- What should I do?

The image of the smiling black-haired woman appeared before her eyes. She was saying something, but the girl didn't know what it was.

- Mother...

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	2. Chapter 1 Start

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing associated with MGLN, except my own imaginations that sometimes go wild.

As usual, reviews will be very much appreciated and hope you will enjoy it :)

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**Chapter 1**

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There is no definite beginning for anything, or for stories in this particular matter.

Stories are like stones that had been piled up one after another. You can try to trace back how the stories of your friends, family, or even people you have only seen once in our entire life, had started and came to affect you.

Well, if you do want to try, good luck with that.

You might spend your entire life trying to figure out what had connected you and still not getting anywhere close to the answer you are looking for.

It might be that the "how" is much more complicated than most people could understand, or maybe there is just no answer in the first place.

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Sometimes people call that destiny, karma, or fate.

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But even so, I guess it is fair to say that this story started with a little girl with short black hair sitting on the bench at the park, joyfully eating her ice cream.

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The girl just finished the last bit of the sweet, and sighed in both enjoyment and regret. The enjoyment had ended too soon to her liking.

She shut her eyes for a brief moment, savoring the taste until it had melted into nothingness. Then, she looked up, glancing toward two women standing under a tree.

It was her mother and her colleague, a beautiful blond woman. They were talking about some important "grown-up stuffs" that she probably should not know.

Which was why, she noted mentally, her mother had gave her some change to get an ice cream cone ten minutes ago.

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When her mother had first told her that she had accepted an important mission- the "grown-up stuffs", she had asked her about it, but her mother just smiled at her and announced that it was time for dinner.

From that point on she had known better than trying to figure out. The implication was clear.

Anyway.

The blond woman was an Enforcer just like her mother, but much younger. Nonetheless, she was just as outstanding, if not better, than her mother. She was an elite, a "living and growing legend" as her mother had put it.

And despite that was said in a half-joking tone, and how the blond had waved it away quickly and claimed the statement to be an over exaggeration, the girl knew it was not far off from the truth.

Of course, the girl had seen the blond in various magazines and newspaper in Mid-Childa.

Because her family background, she had also heard all kinds of stories about the Navy and the adventures the crew would go on. Often it involved travelling to some unnamed planets, confronting crazy criminals or stopping evil schemes that would have devastated the place and its people.

She had always found the stories fascinating, and while things didn't always have a happy ending, she still liked the idea that someone had tried to help, and someone in turn was saved.

But even so, she was never able to picture either of the women raising their weapon to those who stood against the law, or arresting dangerous criminals in collapsing buildings.

They seemed too soft and too gentle for such tasks.

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"Salvia?"

She heard her mother calling out to her, apparently done with whatever business she had with the younger enforcer.

She jumped off the bench and ran toward them, looking up expectantly when she reached them.

"Yes, Mother?"

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Her mother smiled at her cheerfulness, and patted her on the head.

"Something came up. I need to head back to Mid-Childa for work."

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Oh, _that_.

The girl grumbled to herself while rolling her eyes a little.

Her mother had been working on _that_ mission ever since the "J.S. incident".

She would go on long trips in which neither the destination nor the purpose were to be revealed.

She would visit well-known military personnel who were famous- or in some cases infamous- for their opinions on certain matters.

She would sometimes have arguments with people in brown uniform over something that would often end with those people frustrated and storming out of the room.

Because of that, the girl had been left alone several times already.

She was sad about it, but she understood that whatever her mother was trying to accomplish was for the better. For her.

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And it was okay. Because Mother would always come home from the challenges.

She would spend more time than she had been away with her, listening to everything she wanted to tell her. She would help her train in preparation for her classes at the mage school, and she would tuck her in bed with a loving lullaby. So it was okay.

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"Alright, are we leaving now?"

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"That depends."

Her mother shook her head, her smile turning mysterious all of a sudden.

"Fate-san had kindly suggested you to stay with her for the night. Would you like that?"

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She turned to look at the blond, seeing the warm and encouraging smile on her face.

She smiled back and nodded.

"Yes Mother, I would like that a lot."

"Okay," she rubbed her head a little, "be good?"

"Of course." She grinned, and watched as her mother ran off to the transport station.

Unconsciously, the girl patted the left of the pocket of her white shirt. There was a picture tucked inside. It was a picture of them in an amusement park nearby.

They had come to her parents' birth place for vocation, and met Fate by pure coincidence when her mother spotted the young enforcer shopping on the very same street with her daughter.

She chuckled at the memory.

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If Fate was caught by surprise even a bit, she hid it very well. The enforcer just smiled embarrassingly as she quietly stated that maybe it was not a good idea to call her "Enforcer Harlawon" on the street of an unadministrated planet.

From that day on, the two families had been staying together quite often, until today. She supposed that was because they were colleagues, or perhaps it was because her mother had got into too many troubles for forgetting how to live in a place without magic that the blond decided to intervene.

Either way, she was happy of the outcome. She had made a new friend.

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"So,"

The girl looked up to the warm smile of the blond and the outstretching hand.

"shall we?"

She grinned again, remembering the younger girl. Vivio, Fate's daughter.

"For certain."

And with that, they left the park. The autumn breeze brushed past their side. Yellow leafs danced in the middle of the air.

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- What a shame.

The girl thought to herself. Her hand patted the front pocket again lightly, just making sure the picture was still inside.

- It would be such a beautiful scene if the leafs were not so lifeless.

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"So you want to be a combat mage."

"Yes."

Fate Testarossa Harlawon looked straight into the ebony eyes of the girl. Seeing nothing other than determination, her gaze softened a little, but her voice was still stern.

"Why?"

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The girl, Salvia Fantasia, was just ten years old. Though not an unusual age to become a mage and work for the Time Space Administration Bureau, it was still too young, in her opinion.

The child should be living a happy and carefree life.

So what is the reason that makes her want to join the Bureau?

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The girl stayed silent for a moment before slowly speaking out.

"Well… you see, Fate-san. My father had passed away last year."

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Her words struck Fate.

Fantasia. Satoshi Fantasia.

The name came to her suddenly and she remembered her childhood friend, the famous ace tactical instructor, had mentioned it.  
It was after the JS Incident. Her friend was reading the newspaper article that had listed all the fatalities in the incident.

The Riot Force Six was lucky, but some others were not.

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'_This man… Satoshi Fantasia, I worked with him several times before._'

She could still hear the grief in her friend's voice from that day.

It was hard to hear someone you knew died in the battlefield. It might be even harder when they came from the same hometown as you.

'_He was an excellent aerial combat mage._'

Her friend continued with regretful tone, the sense of losing a countryman made her friend tearing up.

'_And most importantly, he was a good man._'

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The man's daughter was sitting right in front of her, hands pressed firmly against her knees.

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"My father passed away last year," Salvia took a deep breath before continuing, "and it had not been easy for us, economically or emotionally."

Fate saw the connection immediately. She could reason out why the girl wished to join the Bureau, but she stayed quiet. She needed to hear it from the girl.

"Mother chose to return to the front line as an Enforcer. She did it to keep our family together."

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There was light shining in the ebony eyes. It was an emotion Fate was very familiar with.  
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"I… I am not some young little girl who needed to be protected constantly anymore. I want to help Mother. I _need_ to help her. I mean, it is my family as well. I _need_ to do something, too."

Fate had seen it in many other children before. The helplessness, the pain of being too weak against the hurting, the urge to find something, to _do_ something to change the life… she was familiar enough with them.

Salvia Fantasia was just another child struggling from drowning in the merciless reality.

But even if she was just another one, Fate still wanted to help her.

She had sworn, a long long time ago, that she would do whatever she can to help these children, to comfort them and give them strength to stand up and fight.

She reached out and wrapped her hands around those of the girl's.

"Have you told Alina… your mother, yet?"

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"I did…"

Fate could feel the little fists underneath her hands relaxed a little, but the girl still had her head dropped.

"Mother has neither supported nor disagreed with my decision, but…"

"Hm?"

"The report said that I have little talent to be a mage. I am an 'average' type. "

She smiled bitterly at her knees.

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Ah.

The word 'average' is used to describe mage who has bare minimum amount of magic energy to be called a mage, and no distinguishable ability or skill that can be called upon.

In other words, they are people who stand on the boundary of mage and normal people.

Although it is not like they cannot learn spells or they have unstable magic power, it is just much more difficult for them to advance in their magic skill.

No matter in the Ground, the Navy, or the Air Services, it would be hard, _very_ hard for the girl.

There are many other works in the Bureau as well, such as communication teams, technicians, or engineers for intelligent devices, warships, or any sorts of machines really. While those jobs do not require the same amount of magic talent, they do require extensive amount of training and equipment, and thus, money.

There is also the road of joining in the Bureau as a regular officer. However, it normally means joining the Ground.

Everyone knows the Ground is notorious for their internal power struggle, and there are stories, dark stories about what happen under the table, when high-rank officers who have enough of powerlessness and decide to try something risky.

Hell, Fate had just witnessed one, the one Regius had pulled under the name of peace and justice.

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Alina could not possibly be happy with that.

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Fate was about to say something, when the front door was suddenly opened, and a small figure skipped into the room.

"Fate-mama, I'm back- Salvia?"

Vivio stood at the door. Her head tilted slightly to one side as she looked at the raven-hair girl curiously and surprisingly.

Ah, how she looked just like Nanoha with that expression. Fate smiled, more or less to the thought.

She stood up with Salvia as Vivio took off her shoes and walked towards them, still looking fairly confused at the other girl's presence but was happy after all.

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"Alina-san had some works to do, so she left for Mid-Childa."

She gave her daughter a hug, and explained the situation.

"I thought you two might want to spend some more time playing together, so I took the liberty and invited Salvia to stay with us tonight."

_Is that fine with you?_

The question was not needed. Vivio was already jumping around the older girl talking about plans to spend the night she just came up with.

The later looked rather awkward, but she was smiling too.

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Fate gave the raven-hair girl a small push toward her daughter.

"Go on. I will start making dinner."

She was saying it more to Salvia than to Vivio.

The talk about the future can wait for a bit. Right now she just wanted her to enjoy the childhood, playing with kids her age and not concerning over the dilemma.

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"Ah, Fate-mama, grandpa and grandma gave me some cakes! Can we…?"

The youngest girl's eyes glowed with anticipation, and Fate laughed softly.

If Nanoha had been here, she would probably scowl at what she was going to say.

"You two can share one piece, okay? And don't tell Nanoha-mama."

Vivio burst out a happy 'Yay!' and immediately grabbed the raven-hair girl's hands and the box of cakes before rushing to her room.

"Absolutely won't tell Nanoha-mama!"

Her voice echoed in the living room.

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"Remember to save the chocolate cake for me!"

Fate called to her room upstairs, getting a happy 'Okay' in response.

She chuckled, and walked to the kitchen.

As she retrieved ingredients for the dinner, her thoughts start wondering.

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It the JS Incident had never happened, Salvia would still have two parents and would probably have a happy life like she should.

If the Ground had not corrupted so badly and sponsored Jail Scaglietti, many people would not be hurt, or killed. Like Nanoha, like Hayate, like the Nakachima family, like the Fantasia…

If Jail Scaglietti did not exist, what would the world be like?

If she, the very start and definition of Project F, had not existed, would the world be a better place?

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Sometimes she wondered.

Sometimes Fate really wondered about that.

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(To be continued…)

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A/N: If you had read this far, wow, and thank you. I myself honestly thought that this story is as boring as it can get.

Anyway. As you might have noticed, this story is told from an original character's point of view- and outsider, if you will. However, that girl, Salvia Fantacia, is not the main character of this story (or I am trying to not let her be). She is someone who sees the story as we do, she participates in some parts of the many characters' life, and I will tell the story based on this method.

That being said, if I stray too far away into the poor girl's personal life, just give me a smack on the head. XD

Till the next time J


	3. Chapter 2 Tea and Coffee

Disclaimer: This story has absolutely nothing to do with the actual MGLN series after StrikeS. I own nothing but my own imagination.

A/N: One thing that stopped me from finishing the story three years ago was that it was getting painfully long and dragging. In this re-write I would try my best to keep it to the point.

Also after some consideration I decided to just go with whatever point of view feels right at the particular chapter. I don't want this fic to become OC-centric, but the world doesn't evolve around our three dear aces either. There are other people to consider.

This chapter is probably going to cover some more interactions and explain the tension between the Ground and the Navy, well at least in this universe.

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**Chapter 2**

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'You cannot deny the need for mass weapon in the near future.'

Fate looked up from her lunch to the television hung on the wall of the cafeteria.

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It was a debate on social security issues in Mid-Childa, responding to the rising crime rate and the growing concerns of its citizens in recent days.

With Regius dead and his scandal exposed to the public, the Ground had lost much credibility and had had a hard time getting back on their feet. Most of the high-rank officers had decided to lay low for a while even if they had nothing to do with the scandal.

But this man, lieutenant-general Tory Vindexta, had chosen quite the opposite.

While rumor was that many Ground officers had a tendency toward the mass weapon, and many even sponsored for the research, none of them had come out this blunt.

The courage and determination were admirable, to say the least. But still, the benefits of having the Bureau's troops equipped with mass weapon were questionable, not to mention the risks of having immature soldiers firing their weapon to others out of emotions such as fear, anger, and so on.

And, to be honest, Fate did not like the idea of mass weapon at all.  
So of course, what the man just said had earned him a negative vote.

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"Here you are."

A familiar cheerful voice caught her attention. She smiled and turned away from the television to greet her childhood friend.

"Hi, Hayate."

"What were you thinking of? Your expression was scary."

The brunette sat down beside her with a curious gaze. But before Fate could answer, she already knew the answer.

"Ah, isn't that the infamous weapon fanatic, lieutenant-general Vindexta." She said with half-mocking tone.

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Hayate didn't like the idea of mass weapon either.

Un-administrated world number 97, her hometown, was one of the worlds that rely on the use of mass weapon. Back when they were still living in the Uminari City, there was an incident that had left them with gloomy impression about mass weapon.

Hayate, of all of them, were the most upset.

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"It's just another debate."

Her lips twitched a little, knowing that was not even close to comforting.

Paused for a second, she tried again.

"So you are assigned to another mission?"

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"Mhmm."

Her friend replied half-heartedly. For a moment, she just stared at her food, as if something was going to pop up from the middle of it.

Then, she sighed, putting her left hand under her chin while using the other to poke at her food. She looked back to the blond.

"You?"

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"Well…"

Fate was just about to tell Hayate about her new long-term mission Chrono had spoken to her about, but her words were suddenly cut off by the loud encounter from the debate.

It was from an ex-Admiral that she did not know very well.

'It is because of people like _you_ that god-forbidden mad scientist finds his way inside the Bureau!'

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Thud.

The last time she spoke with that man, he had said to her.

'Why should I be worried? Soon enough the Bureau will break down, and everyone will want the power and technology that they once detested so much. The power only I can offer-'

A cold and sharp gaze was all she gave him.

'You cannot prevent it, Fate. You cannot save them, just like how your dear mother tried to save her daughter…'

The man broke into lunatic laughter, and she turned and walked away from him, feeling disgusted, and _defeated_.

Thud.

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"Fate-chan?"

Fate snapped back at her friend's voice.  
She looked at the clean blue eyes, and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, I was a little carried away with thoughts."

Hayate frowned a little at her statement. If she had noticed anything strange, she had chosen not to comment on it.

"Don't work yourself too hard. Tell Nanoha-chan that too, alright? Vita-chan told me that she had been over-doing it a little recently."

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"The same could be said to you, Hayate."

Fate smiled. Although the work as an investigator was not as physical-taxing as neither Nanoha's or her work, it required far more long-term concentration and endurance, and would often leave the brunette sleepless for several days in the busiest time.

For that reason, Hayate and Fate and both became dark coffee drinkers. Not necessarily that they favored the bitter taste, but it probably had more to do with the fact that sometimes they were too exhausted to find cream and sugar.

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Hayate just laughed awkwardly and scratched her cheek.

"I guess that means we should both watch out then. We don't want Shamal to drag us for her 'special treatment', do we?"

Fate shivered a little at the mention of the blond and the so called 'special treatment'.

"No, not at all. I can still remember how Nanoha looked like after she came from that last time."

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They looked at each other, and burst out into laughter at the memory.

"Oh my,"

After several seconds, Hayate mused.

"How I miss the time when we are all together."

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Indeed.

Fate just smiled in agreement, taking a sip of her properly made coffee with cream and sugar.

She missed those times as well.

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In the background, the debate between the Ground lieutenant-general and the ex-Admiral was still going on.

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Hayate stood outside a certain enforcer's office on the warship Oedipus. Her back leaned against the wall of the hall way, her eyes closed to rest and think.

She was here for her mission assigned to her two days ago. It was an investigation, an exceptionally unpleasant one.

It was aiming toward some very powerful people in the Bureau.

To be honest, Hayate didn't like working on this kind of mission. For one, she had no desire of poking her nose into others' head and trying to figure out what they think. Also, she had no intention in becoming some sort of tools for power struggles among the high-rank officers. And last, this kind of work was not in her job description anyway- it sounded more like what Inspectors do.

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She was here because she believed.

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She trusted the people who gave her this order, although she still did not quite understand what they wanted her to do, or discover. She trusted those people and their judgments. If they said it was necessary for her to do it instead of an inspector, then there must be a good reason why it could not be an inspector to do this job.

And, from what they told her, if their suspicions were right, her mission would be the key of preventing a horrible future from happening.

So if this had to be done, if this had to be the case, if she had to dirty her own hands to stop that future and bring hopes and changes she longed to see, so be it.

She would not hesitate.

Deep inside, she already felt as if those hands were stained.

.

"Investigator Yagami?"

Hearing the footsteps approaching from behind, she opened her eyes and turned to see the black-haired woman few feet away from her.

That's the enforcer she wanted to talk to. Her commanders told her that this particular enforcer had taken on a classified mission, which they suspect was highly related to her own mission. She might possess valuable information.

Alina Fantasia, the once-retired enforcer "Saintly Dime".

.

"Enforcer Fantasia,"

Hayate could not help but feel a little nervous. She shook the woman's hand a bit too hard.

"Thank you for meeting with me today."

.

"It's my pleasure."

Alina just smiled. When Hayate finally released her hand, she walked toward her office door and gestured the young investigator to enter.

"Please come in."

.

Hayate did as she was asked.

There was a strange sensation in her stomach. It was like she had felt all the possible emotions human being is capable of, but at the same time had felt nothing at all.

It might just be the nervousness. After all, this would mark the official beginning of the mission. Once she stepped inside the enforcer's office, there would be no turning back.

Dizziness suddenly rushed through her head. She stopped beside the couch in the office, took a deep breath, and began speaking.

"I'm here today because-"

.

But the woman raised a hand to interrupt her speech.

"Pleas, Investigator Yagami, I just came back from a meeting. Perhaps you and I can talk business after a short break?"

Alina didn't wait for the response. She walked straight to her desk.

"Right now let's talk about something else for a little."

She paused to turn around and look at the slightly shocked young investigator. Two white cups were in her hands, and she was smiling.

"To start off with, would you like tea or coffee?"

.

.

Hayate blinked.

"Uh,"

She cleared her throat. This was not exactly what she expected.

"Uhh… coffee?"

.

For a moment, Alina just stared at Hayate. There was something in her expression that made Hayate suddenly aware. She looked at the cups, the coffee machine on the side, the tea cans lining on the shelf, and back to the woman's gaze.

All of a sudden, Hayate understood.

She cleared her throat again, now her voice more certain.

"With cream and sugar if you would not mind? I don't really like the bitter taste."

.

The expression on the enforcer softened. The smile showed knowing and understanding.

"Roger that."

She turned around, hands starting to work on the drinks. But she kept on talking.

"Do you think coffee is good? Investigator Yagami?"

.

"Depend on the situation." Hayate answered, focusing on the conversation now. "For instance, whenever there is a particularly difficult case, coffee is the only thing to keep people awake and functioning."

Alina chuckled. From the look of it, she had experienced that personally as well.

The sound of water running echoed in the room, followed by the smell of freshly made coffee and tea. Hayate felt a little more relaxed.

"On the other hand, we all know that it is unnatural to stay awake when your body tells you to rest. Trying to fight that is bad enough, forcing it with coffee is even worse."

.

Alina poured the drinks into the two white cups as she spoke.

"But people still do it."

She turned and walked toward the younger woman, and handed her the cup with darker liquid.

.

"Thank you."

Hayate said as she accepted the warm cup. She inhaled the familiar scent of coffee, and then continued.

"People do it even though they know risk, because sometimes it is necessary to stay awake that late."

.

"Fair enough."

Alina sat down behind her desk, and motioned Hayate to sit down as well.

"But what if, say, a seven-year-old child wants to stay up? Should the child drink coffee to stay up?"

.

"I cannot picture there being any need for a seven-year-old to stay up. It must be quite depressing."

Hayate mused, receiving a light chuckle from Alina. She continued.

"Judging from the experience of some friends of mine, what makes a child need to stay up is usually not that big of a problem. I mean, normally it could be taken care of by the parents if needed, or could probably wait until the next morning, or in the case of needing to play video games, should not be allowed anyway."

.

"That is true."

Alina took a sip of her drink and nodded.

"But Investigator Yagami, do you remember, when you are a child, the feeling of needing the matter to be resolved immediately?"

.

Hayate thought about it.

No, and yes. Her childhood was not quite what people would say 'usual'. She lived by herself. She did not have any family until the Cloud Knights appeared. After the Incident of the Book of Darkness, she had joined the Bureau with Nanoha and Fate, and had been training ever since.

However, she did remember some of the days when she was allowed to act more like her age. She could remember the times when she came across a particular interesting or intense book. And it felt like… she just felt like she _has_ to finish reading it, right then.

Granted, she still fell asleep while reading every single time.

.

"My point is, the child would probably end up trying it anyway, out of curiosity, of need, or in rare cases, out of desperation."

Alina's words snapped Hayate out of her thought. The enforcer took another sip.

"If the child is caught doing so, the parents would give some sort of punishment, of course, if there is a rule for the child to not do so. But the fact stayed the same: the child already had a taste of it."

.

Hayate took another sip as well, thinking harder at the senior enforcer's words.

.

"The problem is- in my opinion- the child had tried it, and it worked. Without the immediate negative effect, the child is likely to pursue on the effect of coffee in the future. It is the same with teenage smoking, and drinking."

.

"And by the time the real negative effects take place, it is too late."

Hayate said thoughtfully.

"But does that mean the parents have to be even more careful?"

.

Alina smiled weakly.

"Maybe, but I do think the child would outsmart the parents sometimes, not to mention it is just not possible for the parents to keep an eye on the child all the time, forever."

.

"As a parent... what would you do then?"

.

"For me, _enforcing_ the rules is my responsibility."

Aline replied.

"But as an adult who had been in the child's place, or who could understand the feeling, I would try to convince them to consult me. At least we can go over some extra information about the coffee the child might not know, or even better, figure out a solution that has nothing to do with coffee."

She raised her cup a little higher, half-pointing to Hayate.

"For instance, I might encourage them to try drinking light tea instead. Old school way is actually not that bad despite how younger generation hates it."

The clear brown liquid reflected off the overhead light.

"With much less side effect, and does not have that bitter if properly made…"

She paused, looking straight into Hayate's eyes, the sharp gaze suddenly judgmental.

"How would you predict the child's decision?"

.

Hayate lowered her head to look at her coffee. She shut her eyes to concentrate and think. This conversation was valuable indeed; she had seen several points she had never considered before.

But her instinctive conclusion right now would determine whether she would get this enforcer's support.

How would the people choose to deal with something that they do not know well, but work in their advantage? She guess it really depends, everyone has different opinion…

_That's it_. It was that simple. What _she_ had to do was that simple.

She looked up again to meet the gaze of the enforcer. She had a confident smile on her face.

.

"It is for the child to decide. But I, as an adult, would definitely make sure the children know exactly what they are getting theirselves into."

By all means.

.

Alina nodded in approval. She seemed very satisfied, and happy.

"Well said, Investigator. Though hard to enforce, but still well said."

She raised her cup.

"Next time you come, I hope you will try the tea I have here. They are great."

.

"I believe so."

Hayate grinned, raising her cup as well to meet the enforcer's.

"And I believe that when that time comes, there would hopefully be no need for us to stay up late and drink coffee anymore."

.

Alina laughed. She pulled out a small disk from her uniform jacket, and handed it to Hayate.

The later took it with great caution, and nodded in appreciation. There were no words exchanged, only actions.

.

"Cheer to tea."

"Cheers."

.

.

* * *

A/N:

I hope I had not confused you in the second part. The "conversation" between Hayate and Alina is supposed to be a metaphor. It should probably give you a hint of what Hayate's investigation and Alina's mission are about.

Now back to the first part. The debate part was short, but hopefully the tension between the Ground and the Navy is clear.

Jail's encounter with Fate is another one I wanted to stress out but did not really put much effort in. Fate is still not able to overcome the fact that she is a clone and that her mother leaving her, yet, just like in StrikerS. In a way, Fate is giving Jail exactly what he wants to see.

P.S. Even after all these years, I still seriously think the staff messed up episode 24, BIG TIME. I died a little when I first watched it.

Until the next time :)


	4. Chapter 3 Do You not Know

Disclaimer: This story has absolutely nothing to do with the actual MGLN series after StrikeS. I own nothing but my own poor imagination.

A/N: I think I'm running out of vocabularies here.

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* * *

**Chapter 3**

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.

.

Salvia sat across Fate in a small cafe in Mid-Childa. Her fingers nervously played with the straw in her ice tea.

"Salvia," the blond began, "I talked to your mother about training in the Ground Forces Academy."

Salvia looked down at her drink. She did, too, and it had been more of a one-sided rejection rather than an actual discussion.

"Alina-san had several concerns, as you are aware of, and that is why I want to talk to you today."

.

Now Salvia is really nervous. If Fate decides to revoke, her only chance of joining the Bureau and becoming a mage would possibly perish forever.

The fact that her mother had probably convinced the blond did not help at all. She didn't know exactly why, but her mother just had this natural neck of debating. Maybe that has something to do with being an enforcer?

She held her breath, waiting for the enforcer to say 'sorry, I cannot help you.'

The blond opened her mouth.

.

"Do you really want to go into training and become an officer?"

Okay, that was _not_ what she expected.

Nevertheless, she answered, almost instantly.

"I do."

.

The blond smiled as if she had seen something she wanted to from Salvia.

"Other than the financial condition of your family, is there any other reason that you want to join the Bureau?"

That made the girl paused for a second. Was there another reason? Without thinking, she almost answered no, but something just didn't feel right with that word.

Was it just because they needed money that she wanted to become a mage?

If it was just that, why did she feel so sad when she failed the entrance test?

.

The image of a man flashed through her mind. The man was laughing, and she herself was flying.

It was her father. Satoshi Fantasia was laughing when he lifted his five-year-old daughter into the air.

He loved flying, and she loved seeing her father laughing like that. She wanted to know why he loved it so much, what was it he saw when he was in the sky?

But before she could join him in the sky, he was gone.

And she wanted to know more than ever before.

.

"Actually, yes there is a reason."

She shifted in her seat, voice breaking a little.

"I wanted to be a mage because... because I wanted to fly."

Fate quietly wrapped her hands around the girl's. After a moment, she said softly.

"I understand. Don't worry, we will work this out. Alright?"

Salvia nodded, and looked up to the ceilings of the cafe. The memory of her father made her eyes burn and her vision blurry.

.

.

* * *

.

.

Few hours later, Fate was sitting across from Shario Finieno outside the inquiry room of one of the Bureau's prison. She looked calm, but her hands were clasping hard.

That was a sign of the young Enforcer being frustrated or troubled. As Fate's assistant, Shario had learned that a long time ago.

There was only one reason she could think of that made the enforcer to feel this way.

"Fate-san, the suspect already confessed everything, is it really necessary for you to...?"

Shario's voice trailed off as the enforcer suddenly looked at her, the expression strange as if she was trying to suppress something.

"It's my job."

She said quietly, but the words did not sound like a reply to Shario's question.

"The suspect might give us a lead on Scaglietti's another illegal research."

She stood up, walking towards the door.

"The rumor of that research is bothering many people in the Bureau, and it should be true, we have to stop it. Scaglietti neither admitted nor denied it, of course, just to mess with us. That's why _this_ is necessary."

She paused for a brief second. The last sentence is almost inaudible.

"It doesn't matter if he killed Alicia's father."

.

.

.

Fate was trying hard not to sigh.

It had been two hours since she started the inquisition, but there had been no development.

The man cooperated, like he said he would, but it seemed like he really had no idea about what Jail Scaglietti might be up to.

Fate had tried all the angles she could think of, and still, nothing.

.

"Enforcer Harlawon, is there anything else you would like to know? I kind of want to take a break..."

"Yes, of course. I appreciate your cooperation, Mr. Akiris."

"What a responsible citizen should do, right?... even though I am in no position to say that."

The man laughed, and stood up, preparing to leave.

.

Fate did not know what overcame her that moment. Actually, she didn't even realize that she was speaking. The words just slipped out of her mouth.

"You didn't have to kill him."

The man stopped.

Fate suddenly felt like there was a rock stuck in her windpipe. She cleared her throat to continue.

"Revenge will never stop the hurt or the hatred, just deepen them even more."

The man turned and looked at her, a gentle but sad smile on his face.

"Is that from personal experience? Enforcer, do you hate me?"

"What? I don't un-"

"Your eyes and hair might be from that man, but you look just like Precia, Enforcer Fate Testarossa Harlawon."

Her body went rigid at those words.

"I killed him, because he had, literarily, taken away my family house, the project I spent thirty years working on, my company, and almost my left arm. And most importantly, he took the hands of your mother, swore to protect her, but instead left her when she needed support the most. "

The man stated calmly.

"I despised him for that. If he had done what he was supposed to, Precia would not have disappeared."

.

That's right. The official statement was that Precia had gone missing after the accident that killed her daughter, Alicia. Only insiders know about Project F.A.T.E and how it was related to the elite ace, the youngest enforcer in the Harlawon family.

The thought brought Fate back from the shock Akiris' words had given her.

"I..."

She cleared her throat again, regaining her calm and professional.

"I... um, sympathized your situation, but still, you did not have to kill him."

"Oh?"

The man seemed amused.

This conversation is making Fate quite uncomfortable now. She just wanted to finish this up as soon as possible and leave.

"He was dying. The doctor said he only had ten months left. He would have gotten what he deserved even if you did nothing.

.

The man started chuckling.

It was not the hysterical laughter that symbolized insanity, but it was an emotion that she could not quite place, and it made her even more uncomfortable.

"You really don't understand, do you? Young Testarossa."

The man spoke softly, like a school teacher talking to his student about some misconception in the course material.

"Excuse me?"

"Of course I know he was dying."

He looked up, eyes focusing on some seemly faraway place that only he knew.

The peaceful expression on his face bothered Fate.

"Then why-"

The man raised a hand to stop her, never bothering to look back.

"_Because_ he was dying, _because_ he would have left this world without truly realizing what he had done. I suppose you can think of this as I have to finish my business with him."

Fate did not know what to say or think. She just felt nauseous, and Akiri was still talking.

"A young woman with promising future like you probably should not understand this, but..."

.

_Don't you have someone like that, Enforcer Harlawon?_

_Somebody that haunts you whenever, wherever you are, on whatever you do._

_Somebody you are destined to challenge and to be challenged upon._

_Somebody whom you, without putting an end to your struggle with, would not be able to rest in peace._

.

_Do you really not know what it feels like?_

.

The man's voice still echoed in the room even long after he had be escorted out of the inquiry room back to his prison cell.

Fate was tempted to answer that question. She wanted to shoot back a firm 'no' and 'never' right into the man's face-

She wanted to prove that he was wrong, that his reasoning did not justify anything.

No matter what have happened- even if Alicia's biological father had killed Precia himself- Akiris should not have taken his life. It was not his to give or take.

She wanted to say that. She knew that was the truth. That is why there are laws protecting people; that is why she is an enforcer.

- but she couldn't.

.

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* * *

.

.

Nanoha was concerned.

Shario had called a little bit earlier to inform her about the event took place in the inquiry room, which apparently left Fate looking rather lost and gloomy for the rest of the day at work.

Usually, Shario would not deliberately tell Nanoha about this sort of things, for the sake of privacy. This time however, the enforcer looked quite troubled, and even a little traumatized. The assistant had decided that nice long talk would be needed.

.

Nanoha doesn't mind listening to her friends' problems even if that is the only thing she could do. In fact, if that can help even the most tiny little bit, she would be glad to help.

The problem was, her friend had not come back to their shared house yet.

It had been almost two days since Shario called from work, and Nanoha had confirmed with her at that time about Fate's schedule. Fate should be off for a week-long vocation.

So, Nanoha then called Chrono, Lindy, and even Amy, to see whether Fate had been visiting, but the answers were all no.

She also tried using Raising Heart to contact Bardiche directly, but the only reply she got from Bardiche's automatic message was that, her master is 'currently on vocation' and so is 'unavailable for any call'.

Nanoha groaned in exasperation when she heard that.

.

_What is she thinking? and more importantly, where is she?_

.

So now, the young combat instructor was pacing around the house, calculating her options.

Vivio had gone to a school trip and would not be back until tomorrow afternoon. She had put Yunno on Vivio's emergency contact, just so if something was to happen, at least somebody would be there to handle it until she comes back with Fate.

There was a paper on the kitchen table just in case she missed Fate on her way out. The message was short but clear: 'Give me a call via Raising Heart _immediately_ if you see this.'

Everything was set.

Nanoha took a deep breath, grabbed Raising Heart and walked to the front door.

.

Just as she finished up tying her shoelaces, she heard a click above.

She shot up her head instantly and saw the blond opening the door, apparently even more surprised than her.

"Nanoha?"

The surprised expression soon turned into a gentle and happy smile.

"Are you going somewhere? I can give you a rid-"

"Fate-chan!"

Before she could finish, the blond was interrupted by the sudden movement of the combat instructor. Just like a shooting star, Nanoha had already jumped up from the floor and crushed herself into the taller woman's arms.

"Stupid stupid stupid Fate-chan! Where have you been! Do you have _any_ idea how worried I am?!"

Fate felt as if her brain just short-circuited. She blinked a few times before managing a stutter.

"I... um, I am sorry?"

.

Nanoha did not reply.

Because the brunette's head was still buried on Fate' shoulder, the blond couldn't see the expression on her friend's face.

But she felt a little shiver from her friends' body, and that made the enforcer instantly aware and nervous.

"Na... Nanoha?"

"Don't..."

A mumble.

Fate leaned closer to listen. Their bodies pressed firmly against each other, but the sensation only felt familiar and soothing, not awkward.

"Hm?"

She put a comforting hand on her friend's head, and stroke slowly.

Nanoha snuggled closer and pushed her face deeper into Fate's shoulder.

"Don't... don't try to take everything on your own. I, Lindy-san, Chrono-kun, Hayate-chan, and many others are willing to listen if you are troubled or just want to talk. So please, don't run off like that again. I was really worried, you know?"

Fate felt a shiver in her dear friend's body, and so she held her even closer.

"Thank you, Nanoha, and I am sorry to make you worried. I just went back to Garden of Time and thought by myself for a while. Now I am fine."

.

Nanoha pulled away to look at the smiling Fate.

She cupped her hands on the blonde's cheek and leaned in, until their foreheads touched.

"Just remember I am here. Okay?"

Nanoha's voice was so soft and gentle that it made Fate's heart stopped for a brief moment, but Fate wondered if Nanoha actually knew how angelic her voice sounded like.

Scarlet red and slate blue met, and Fate saw the purest and most innocent love and tenderness in there. She felt a sudden warm rush in her chest.

She put her own hands on top of the brunette's, her eyes never left hers.

"Always."

A wide, happy smile and a beautiful blush broke across the brunette's face.

.

"Welcome home, Fate-chan."

"I am home, Nanoha."

.

.

.

(To be continued…)

* * *

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A/N:

First, I consider having some NanoFate interaction a big improvement.

Second, even though I like to think that writing is a way to express and realize the vivid images and stories in my brain, it will be really nice to have someone to chat with xD

Until the next time :)


	5. Chapter 4 Anniversary

Disclaimer: This story has absolutely nothing to do with the actual MGLN series after StrikeS. I own nothing but my own poor imagination.

A/N: I actually jumped from my seat and screamed "I got reviews! I got reviews!" when I logged in today to update the new chapter.

Thank you, thank you, **thank you** very much for them!

And to show how much I appreciate the reviews, this chapter is slow as usual… okay fine, that was a lie, the plot has never moved fast.

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* * *

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**Chapter 4**

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.

Beams of warm sunlight leaked through the heavy curtains of a particular apartment in Mid-Childa, disturbing one of the owners of the house, who was still sleeping in the white queen-size bed in the master bedroom.

The soft golden flash awaked the woman in bed, slowly and gently, just like the other host of this family.

Still half asleep, the brunette murmured some inaudible words into the pillow.

She snuggled closer to the object next to her.

Hayate often tease this new habit of hers to be the consequence of living with Fate for too long.

Maybe it is because of her childhood, the young enforcer had developed the tendency of spoiling the people around her. The tendency even seemed to advance in recent years. Now, not only children, her friends would sometimes catch themselves been treated with excessive benevolence by the blond enforcer as well.

Sometimes it can be inconvenient, but sometimes, it is a good thing. Well, at least Nanoha behave more like her age when she is around Fate, according to Hayate.

While feeling embarrassed a little, Nanoha actually likes that idea.

It is true that she wants to be strong for others, but Fate is not 'others'. She is the one Nanoha is willing to show her weakness to, because she will back her up. Many years ago, they had made a promise to each other- Fate will be Nanoha's sword, removing any obstacles on her path, and Nanoha will be Fate's shield, protecting her from any attack.

They had grown so relied on each other. A life without the other would be unimaginable.

In fact, the very idea of not being on each other's side sends a chill across the brunette's body.

Nanoha snuggled closer to the object, wrapping her arms around lazily, and buried her head deep into the softness.

She has to say, feeling Fate's warmth is really comforting…

.

_Wait a second_.

.

Nanoha was suddenly wide awake.

_That_ didn't feel like Fate.

Nanoha opened her eyes and noticed the blanket in her arms. Feeling slightly disappointed, she sighed and released her grip.

A small yawn escaped from her mouth as she stretched herself. She sat up, rubbing her blue eyes, which were still clouded by sleepiness…

…and saw the blond standing by the door, a hand covering her mouth, trying to suppress the laughter of seeing the adorable reactions of the brunette.

.

"…you are early."

Nanoha glared at Fate.

Fate removed the hand, revealing the genuine smile underneath. She couldn't stop even if she tried. Nanoha just looked so adorable, and the fact that she was glaring at her while blushing didn't help at all.

She walked to sit down on the side of the bed, and put a hand on the brunette's head.

"Jet lag. So I thought maybe I should make the breakfast this morning."

"Liar."

Nanoha accused lazily and slapped the blonde's hand away playfully.

Then, almost as if it was second nature, she had cuddled herself up in the most comfortable spot in Fate's arms.

"Enforcers don't get jet lags. It's part of the inhuman and unhealthy lifestyle you people develop in the job."

Fate chuckled at that comment.

"Really? But the textbooks taught me that when we travel in the dimensional space, our time is different from any other world so we _can_ get jet lag… Oh wait, does that means I would be younger than you are, or I already am?"

"Don't talk about age. And for your information, either way it doesn't change the fact that it's cozy in your arms."

Feeling the brunette snuggling even closer, Fate chuckled again.

A sudden sense of affection seized her heart, and she landed a tender kiss on Nanoha's forehead, wrapping her arms a little tighter and more protectively around the brunette.

"Alright, sleepy beauty, ready to wake up yet?"

"Hmm… where is Vivio?"

The question sounded hazy. The young combat instructor was either enjoying the timid moment, or was too comfortable that she was drifting back to sleep.

Fate paused for a moment, removing a strand of hair from the brunette's face. Then she replied quietly.

"I drove her to the Saint Church a little bit earlier."

.

Saint Church.

That suddenly reminded Nanoha of what day it is.

"Oh God, how can I forget…"

She separated herself quickly from Fate and looked up at the ruby eyes, her own eyes filled with apology and worry.

It's the first anniversary of the JS Incident.

To honor the memory of all who had suffered through the incident, the Saint Church had host a memorial. Vivio, the blood-line of the Ancient Saint King, and one of those who had been most deeply involved in the event, had volunteered to help out in the ceremony.

The little girl had insisted that both of her mothers should be the ones attending the memorial to be appreciated for what they had done for the world.

On one hand, Nanoha was proud of the girl for her thought. On the other hand, she was worried about Fate, knowing that the blond was still unable to let go of what happened, or what Jail Scaglietti had said to her, at least some part of it.

Now she thinks she knows why the blond had woken up so early.

She probably could not sleep and had been thinking the whole night about the incident.

"Fate-chan…"

She caressed the blonde's cheeks with both her hands, and just looked at her.

"I'm fine, Nanoha."

The blond smiled, and stroke the brunette's head gently.

True enough, she still felt remorse for all that had gone wrong and all who had been lost. But during the encounter with Jail Scaglietti, the words from Caro and Erio had made her realized.

She was weak because she was afraid of being weak. She was afraid of being afraid.

It didn't matter how well she disguised her fear and weakness. If she never truly accepts it, she would never be able to grow out from it.

Although it would not be easy to overcome her fear and weakness, and accept them as who she is, she knows she would be able to, some day.

"Don't worry. I didn't wake up early because I had trouble sleeping. I was up to help Vivio get prepared for the ceremony. I want to remember what happened, and all those people who had been involved… just my way to show my respect, _ne_?"

Nanoha nodded quietly, entwining her fingers with Fate's.

.

After a few moments, Fate released Nanoha from the embrace, and lifted her chin up with her index finger.

Looking at the brunette, she smiled.

"Come on, breakfast is getting cold."

.

.

* * *

.

.

After the JS Incident, the Three Legendary Admirals had assembled the Temporary High Council to help the Ground Force getting back on their feet.

The members of the Temporary High Council were chosen solely from the Ground Force. All of them have good reputation throughout the Bureau, and are highly respected by the lower-rank officers in the Ground Force.

It seemed like the best and safest response to the scandal of Regius and the still-fresh opposition toward the Headquarter in the Ground Force.

But the 'shadow' had suspected things.

It would not be wise for the highest end of the bureaucracy to do nothing after such significant incident.

The Three Legendary Admirals, the ones who had established the Bureau today, the ones who successfully abolished the use of mass weapon even though it was a very popular idea back then. They would of course take some sort of actions, right? That's what the 'shadow' thought.

So when the news of the Temporary High Council was released and it seemed like the Admirals had chosen to step back and let the Ground handle their own mess, the 'shadow' was surprised.

The 'shadow' had tried to dig into the core of it, hard. But there were no information, or even rumors about what the Admirals could have done.

That made the 'shadow' confused. Did the Admirals really not do anything?

If the Admirals really did nothing, it can only mean that the Bureau is indeed spinning out of their control. Revolution will come, sooner or later.

But if there is something going on…

.

_There is._

The 'shadow' had only realized this a few hours ago, and was absolutely impressed with the secrecy level.

.

'Mission Reingung.'

The goal of the mission is just described by its name- to filter, or if you will… 'purify', every personnel within the Bureau.

The first stage of the mission started about nine months ago.

Twenty-six elite officers, most of whom originated from the Ground and few others transferring from the Navy, were chosen directly by the Admirals to execute this mission.

In the span of two years, the twenty-six officers would be responsible for collecting both personal and organizational information, observe any abnormal activities of direct or indirect contacts with the personnel, and investigating corruptions in all major departments and branches within the Bureau, including the Main Office, the Capital Armaments Services, and the Dimensional Navy.

They were given authority to access files and records of all security levels, but were given no actual power to arrest, detent, or interrogate any persons in interest.

Of course, their existence is classified.

The members in the unit report directly to the Three Admirals, and have no difference in ranking other than what they were titled of outside this operation.

In the end of the mission, they will hand in all the information they have collected throughout the mission, and destroy any records of their relationships with the mission.

Everybody has to follow this protocol.

Except for one person.

The one who has the order from the Admirals themselves to investigate some particular people of interest within or outside of the Bureau, and the one who has the authority to, under some circumstances, discuss those cases collected by the members with other personnel.

The Admirals has given her direct order to resort to force if the mission was exposed to any identified enemies, or if there should be any immediate threat to the lives of the 'Chain of Command' of the Bureau.

The Lead Enforcer, 'Saintly Dame' Alina Fantasia.

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* * *

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The raven haired woman in her black enforcer outfit is standing under the cloudy sky of the Western Mid-Childe.

In front of her was her husband's grave. The mark of his name still fresh and clear on the tombstone, and the pain the woman felt is vivid like she just lost him yesterday.

Except it wasn't, it had been a year after the incident that killed Satoshi Fantasia.

It was almost a year after she picked up her devices again.

And it was almost a year since she accepted 'Mission Reingung'.

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Her fingers traced through the name on the tomb.

"Sometimes I wonder what you will think if you know what I am doing."

She smiled as tears rolled down across her cheeks.

"If you had seen what the High Council did, would you still believe in the Bureau? If you had known how bad the corruption was, would you still fight for them? Sometimes I wonder who really killed you. Was it the mad scientist or the organization we believed in?"

A few raindrops fell on her body, but she didn't move.

"Salvia couldn't come today. I told her not to, because it's her first day in the Ground Force Academy and it would leave bad impression to the instructors there. But the truth is, I don't think I can be strong for her in front of your grave."

"You should see her, Satoshi. Our little girl had grown up. When she said she wants to fly in the sky, she looked just like you…"

It rained harder. The color of the tombstone darkened.

A few drips of rainwater rolled down the surface of the tombstone, as if it was crying with her.

"Chaos might strike Mid-Childa again very soon, and this time I don't know if the Bureau will be quick enough to react. I'm afraid, Satoshi. I'm trying my best to prevent the corrupted minds inside from embracing the destruction, but I don't know how I am going to do this."

Alina looked at her husband's name in pain and exasperation.

"If the time should come, I don't know how I can protect Salvia. Please, Satoshi, keep her safe. Give me the strength to keep our little girl safe."

She kneeled down, clinching to her dead husband's name for dear life…

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…utterly unaware that, not far behind her, someone had been watching.

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(To be continued…)

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A/N:

I swear writing NanoFate scenes is as addictive as reading them.

Anyway, next chapter marks the end of Year 76, or so I intended. (Yes, so Chapter 1 through Chapter 5 are all space out in Year 76). I didn't specify what time it is in the year, and the reason is that I'm not sure about how the season changes in Mid-Childa (I did try Wiki though!) so I figure the best way to go about is just leave it like that XD

By the end of Chapter 5 (or the end of the whole story) I would probably update a timeline of what happened at what time if anybody got confused of what happened.

Or maybe not posted, but I myself will definitely keep a copy just so I don't write contradictory plots that can only happen with time-travelling.

…I think you know how much I love and appreciate reviews after the A/N in the top of this chapter XD

Until the next time :)


	6. Chapter 5 The Old Days

Disclaimer: This story has absolutely nothing to do with the actual MGLN series after StrikeS. I own nothing but my own poor imagination.

A/N: Thank you again for the reviews :) It's a pleasure to read them.

Like most of the stuff we face in our daily life, laws can act as protections for the safety of the people, but can also be ways for the government to gain absolute control/power. And as the saying goes, absolute power leads to absolute corruption.

Nuclear energy can be used to produce the power necessary to heat up our houses during the harsh winter, or it can be used to produce bombs that destroy houses and take away lives. It is not the object that is good or bad, it is how people use it that makes it good or bad.

How will it turn out…? Well, keep reading :)

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**Chapter 5**

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Erio Mondial sat on the front porch of the little cottage in the TSAB-administrated world No. 61, Supools, holding a letter in his hand.

As he read through the content, his fist had clenched subconsciously, almost ripping the paper to pieces.

He never truly understood the political issues within the Bureau, and to tell the truth, he didn't care very much about it anyway. He was young, and those issues seemed so far away- the impression was that the high-ups should be sitting around a table in a dark room, talking about all sorts of statistics and difficult concepts and knowledge that he would not understand, and come up with some brilliant ideas to resolve whatever issues they have at hand.

As far as his world was concerned, the people around him seemed to think more or less the same.

They are soldiers, only soldiers. For them, the one and most important objective is for them to be able to protect what they value the most, be it their family, friends, or world peace.

They all want the same thing, to live happily; the difference is the methods they choose to get there.

His guardian, the famous enforcer Fate T Harlawon, had taught him to respect and understand those who choose differently than him. She has said to him with a calm but somber voice, that a battle between two people who have the same goal is meaningless and will most likely lead them farther away from their goals, if not to a terrible tragedy. If he happens to be in such situation and there is a possibility to avoid the worst outcome, by all means, try.

Although at the time he did not understand those words very well, Erio had held them in his heart at all time, when standing in the frontline of his work or during his interaction with other people.

It had not been long after that he found himself stuck in such position.

During the JS Incident, he and Caro had stood against Garyu and Lutecia, trying their best to reach out to the lost girl and convince them of what Jail Scaglietti was really planning. Later on, many other events had also led him to the need to confront others who stood a different ground than he was.

Understanding the differences between him and others was hard, especially when he could not feel what the other person has experienced. But Erio had still managed to reach a consensus with them most of the time.

Even in the cases where the two sides still disagree after negotiating, Erio could at least put himself in the others' shoes, and there had yet been any needs for him to cross fire with the other persons.

It was not easy to say the least, but it was not irrationally hard either.

He would expect that the adults and the high-ups to be able to do that, but unfortunately, that was apparently not something the majority of the world, or the ones who hold the power, were capable of.

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Erio gritted his teeth hard, feeling angry with the Bureau for the first time since he was taken away from his parents.

He just wanted to protect those he loves.

He just wanted to make the world a better place so people won't suffer.

There was nothing wrong with it.

So why were those people making it so hard?

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"Erio-kun?"

A soft voice snapped Erio out of his thoughts.

He raised his head to see Caro Ru Lushe walking up the front steps with the tiny white dragon, Friedrich, flying by her side.

"Ah, welcome back, Caro."

Erio stood up to greet the returning girl. He casually stuck the letter into his back pocket, not wanting to trouble Caro, not yet.

The girl smiled sweetly at the boy's greeting.

"Thank you."

But the smile was soon replaced by a curious and slightly concerned look.

"Is something wrong? You are frowning."

Was he? Erios brushed his finger across his forehead. He didn't even realize that; he must have been really deep in thoughts.

"No, I'm fine, just thinking about the news this morning."

He replied with as much casualness he can muster.

It was not the whole true, of course, but it was also not a lie.

The weekly newspaper sent to the base this morning had some disturbing news that distressed everyone there, including the two teens.

The headline was about a retired admiral who had recently rejoined the Bureau to be a consultant. According to the newspaper, the admiral had gone missing three days ago. His residence had been burned down to ashes and there was no trace of the admiral, or any hint of what happened.

The Rescue Crops had searched the areas within ten kilometers of the residence, but still there was nothing.

It was as if the admiral had just disappeared.

.

Well, at least that's what the newspaper wrote.

Only a selected bunch had known that, inside the residence, the Rescue Crops had found several marks indicating the presence of mass weapon.

Yes, only a selected bunch of people.

The people who had received a hand-written mail by the Lieutenant-General of the Ground Force.

A letter that asked for their services and loyalty to him and the land.

A letter that, Erio Mondial had stuck on the back of his pocket only a few minutes ago.

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* * *

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_Three Days Earlier, at Mid-Childa…_

It is no secret that the Time Space Administration Bureau has been long divided into two parties of extreme opposite when it comes to the means of force they should possess.

It is probably also not surprising that the still ongoing debate had turned friends and families against each other.

However, it _does_ take some seriously messed up mind for someone to plan to kill, to murder, someone who was once his best friend.

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Tory Vindexta looked satirically at the crimson, almost dark brown, circlet in the transparent box before his eyes.

"I have heard of it many times, but I did not know it is real."

He smirked, sounding amused.

The man in a white lab coat standing behind the box frowned at Tory's statement, but decided to not comment on it.

"It is as real as it is dangerous, Lieutenant-General Vindexta."

He studied the albino man carefully. The taunting and teasing in the crimson eyes sent a chill down the Chairman's spine. He was suddenly afraid, afraid of the lack of respect and humbleness in the man's words and behaviors.

As the Chairman of the Museum of the Ancient Magic History, he had learnt even before his first day at work that the arrogance was what destroyed so many civilizations that were far more advanced than the modern Mid-Childa.

"Might I ask why you had requested to see this antique?"

He asked the sitting officer with all the calmness and courage he could muster.

"Oh, I just need to borrow this for a while."

The lieutenant-general replied casually, as if he was asking for a penny.

-and that absolutely terrified the Chairman.

"What?! …you are joking, right? Lieutenant-General? This object is extremely dang-"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

Tory cut him off half-sentence, a flick of annoyance flashed across his face.

Be it the irritation on the man's face, or his sharp words that struck the Chairman, he did not know, but he had snapped out of the sudden panic and realized what the man was implying.

He shot back firmly and angrily at the albino man.

"Even if you are serious about it, the answer is absolutely **NO**. How can you even think about this. Do you not realize what damage _Wollust_ can do if it, god forbids, ever goes out of control?"

Tory's lip curved up into a cruel smile at the accusation.

"Oh I do. That is exactly what I need it for."

For a moment, the Chairman was too shock to react. When he regained himself, he was ferocious.

"You bastard! I won't let you! Security-"

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_BANG!_

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But before the Chairman could alert his men, a sharp pain had sent him flying backward. He looked up, horrified, at the smoking end of the ebony object in Tory's hand.

There was a seemingly harmless smile on his face.

"Of course you don't think I'm stupid enough to let anyone interrupt my… _negotiation_, with you, do you? And oh, before I forget, there is another thing I need to ask you for, Chairman."

He pointed the pistol to the forehead of the injured man, his eyes reflecting his desperation.

"I also need you to _die_."

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* * *

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Ground Lieutenant-General Tory Vindexta, Admiral Krog Onara, and Airforce Lieutenant-Gneral Kentoru Cendrik were best friends once, when they were still training at one of the Bureau's academies.

The three of them were, among the others, the youngest and the most promising mages of the time. They had sworn brotherhood, and to stay by each other's side and work together as a team no matter what.

They believed in what they said, and they believed that they were invincible.

But reality hit them hard.

During one of the missions which involved capturing a dangerous criminal, Tory had lost all his magic ability.

The plan for them was overturned.

The injured man had tried the hardest he could. He went to all the treatments and rehabilitations that would hopefully bring his magic ability back. He had switched from military hospitals to private ones, even underground clinics.

But they were useless. The fact remained. He could no longer fly with them.

They could no longer stay the same.

He turned around and walked into the Ground Force, dreaming that maybe he could still help them somehow. But he soon found himself oppressed by the countless restrictions the Navy had put on the Ground Force.

He had become powerless without magic.

So he went to Krog, who was an elite enforcer in the Navy at the time, hoping that his best friend could help him figuring something out.

No.

Instead, Krog Onara told him right off the back to give up. The promise they made could not stand in the face of reality.

He could never be a mage again.

_So go home, Tory, and live a normal life_. That was what he told him.

And, that was the end of a friendship that he thought would last for a life time.

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Now, many many years later, Tory stood in front of the very person he once valued as his best friend.

As time went by, he had come to a very different point of view.

He changed, people changed, the technology changed, the world changed, and the situation was changed.

The person looking so small and pitiful was not Tory Vandexta anymore.

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He kicked hard on the stomach of the man who was crawling on the ground, making the indigo-haired admiral fell down again, and panted in pain.

"You twisted monster."

Krog shot him a hateful gaze, and spitted on his shoes.

"Look who is talking."

Tory smirked, and shot the indigo-haired admiral in the leg again, with the pistol he used to kill the chairman earlier. His lip twisted into a satisfied smile as Krog howled in pain.

"Still, I have to thank you, Krog. If it wasn't for you, I would still be stuck in the pitiful state I was in, believing in fairy tale and unicorns, and not seeing what the world is really like."

"Don't thank me."

The admiral's breathing was rough, but he kept his gaze level to the Ground Lieutenant-General's, not wanting to stand down. If gaze can shoot dagger, Tory would probably be dead already.

"I have nothing to do with your pathetic mind."

Tory laughed joyfully at his comment.

"Being sarcastic, aren't we? It's a shame, Krog. A man like you can never understand the need for revolution."

"And what kind of revolution is that, turning everybody into psychic like you?"

Tory laughed again, bewildered.

"That would be interesting as well, but you see, Krog, it wasn't necessary at all. There are way too many people in this world. That's why there are so many struggles and desires. And you know how to resolve this issue?"

"I'm not a psychologist, but I can tell you this much: even if there is a need for a solution, it is definitely not what you come up with. You may be smart, but you are not _that_ smart, Vindexta."

"I wasn't even trying to be."

Tory waved off the insult in annoyance, and stepped on Krog's right hand, which was trying to reach out to his intelligent device. He ignored the admiral's muffled scream, and continued.

"The answer had been there all the time. Even an idiot like you should realize by now, Krog."

He then turned to crush the rectangular device that had turned lifeless after he had shot it four times when he broke into Krog Onara's house.

His gaze met with his best friend's, and pointed at the pistol in his hand.

"_This_, Krog. The solution is _this_. The Law of the Jungle will decide who is fit to survive."

When the admiral's face turned sickly pale, he laughed out loud.

"I feel sorry that you won't be able to see that day, but don't worry, I have chosen the most suitable device to end your miserable, stale life."

He took out the circlet he had taken from the museum, and placed it on Krog's head gently.

When the admiral tried desperately to fight, he just raised the pistol again and shot his hands. The blood from the wounds gathered into a small pool under the admiral's body.

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"Farewell, my friend."

Krog Onara looked up in pure horror. The last thing he saw before the circlet was put on him was the hideous smile on the albino's face.

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Almost the instant the circlet touched the admiral's head, it started glowing, the light a disgusting dark bloody red.

Krog was instantly broken down by the extreme force the Lost Logia possessed.

Terrible howls of pain escaped from his mouth as he felt his body been torn apart to millions of pieces and squashed to one tiny single point at the same time.

His blood seemed to rush in both direction in his vein, his lungs refused to accept oxygen anymore, and his heart turned rock hard as it stopped pumping blood.

The memory from his childhood to the present time all came rushing in front of his eyes. He knew- this is the end.

But, before he lost consciousness completely, Krog Onara thought he saw the three of them, him, Tory, and Kentoru, laughing together again.

Just like the old days.

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(To be continued…)

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A/N:

In a way I think Erio is just like Fate. But because he was accepted not too long after he had been taken away by the Bureau, he wasn't as traumatized as Fate was.

Tory Vindexta first appeared in the debate. Instead of lying low like most Ground officers do, he had stood up and encouraged the use of mass weapon openly. Why? Because old flames are hard to die out and he knew it. No matter what Regius had done, there _are_ going to be people supporting the idea of mass weapon; the JS Incident just made the flame weaker.

I'm not sure whether I'll explain why Vindexta came to support mass weapon thoroughly in the later chapters, I probably should, but one thing I want to clarify now is that it's not _just_ for vengeance. It's not just because he turned bitter after he lost his magic ability.

Until the next time :)


	7. Chapter 6 Orbital Prison

Disclaimer: This story has absolutely nothing to do with the actual MGLN series after StrikeS. I own nothing but my own poor imagination.

A/N: Exam week is coming up, so I'm procrastinating harder than usual, hence another chapter.

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**Chapter 6**

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_February, Year 77, Orbital Prison No.9, 1:03 am_

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A figure moved swiftly in the building that was once one of the most guarded places by the Bureau. Yes, once. The security system the Bureau was so proud of was wiped out by the figure, well under ten minutes of time.

The 'shadow' had come with the intention of leaving none to the Bureau.

The wardens were the first it slayed, of course, those poor souls probably did not even know what hit them. They had no chance against the shadow and its power. Then, as it walked deeper and deeper into the prison, the prisoners were silenced as well. Once and for all.

Satisfied with its handiwork, the shadow proceeded to the only thing that interested it. The burning and cracking sound played like background music, accompanying the set of footstep deep into the last hallway in the institution. The rooms in this hallway contained the ones who were deemed to be the smartest, the most dangerous, and most manipulative detainees of all time.

The shadow walked straight to the last room.

And there sat a man.

"Jail Scaglietti."

The man looked up at him, faking a surprise. Even in his current state of imprisonment, the dangerous light in the eyes of the man did not seem to lessen any bit than when he was still a free man.

"I wasn't expecting a visitor."

He said, playfully.

The shadow ignored him, or perhaps it was in no mood of playing game him. The shadow looked down at the sitting man with somber purple eyes that contained no emotion, a sharp contrast to the light in the yellow ones of the man.

"You are the victim of 'Unlimited Desire' project, correct?"

It was more of a statement than a question really. There was no way of telling.

But Scaglietti rubbed his chin and seemed to think about it – rather, pretending to be thinking.

"A victim? I don't think so."

A short pause, then, in a blink of eye, he was up in front of his visitor, his face only inches away from the shadow.

If it were for other people, if it were any normal people standing that close to Jail Scaglietti, surely the sudden movement and the closeness should terrify them. But the shadow was nothing close to the normal, and so it was as if the action was expected in the first place. The shadow didn't even move an eyebrow.

Scaglietti stared at the emotionless purple for a long while. There were many things the man was thinking, too many to be described and too hard to be put in proper words. But whatever he was seeing apparently satisfied him. He started laughing.

"Interesting. Very interesting. So, what business do you have with me?"

The shadow did not say a word, instead it raised a hand, and the door that separated Jail Scaglietti from freedom and the outside world was gone.

"I need your help to save this corrupted world."

There was no room for rejection in its voice, and neither in its action. The message was loud and clear – help me or die right here.

Jail smirked. As expected, those who seek his knowledge were always the ones who seek control of the world. Those people are boring; he would be more delighted if it was his _daughter_ who came to seek him for help, for the disgust in her face was pricelessly beautiful and hilarious. People who seek power greater than themselves are just out of their minds.

Oh wait, he forgot. Strictly speaking, he himself is human, too, and a human who searches for the secrets of Ancient Belka and Al-Hazard. That makes him out of his mind too, right?

He started laughing again, feeling amused in the first time since he was locked here.

So what? Out of his mind or not, he is a doctor, a researcher, an inventor. When an opportunity like this just presented itself to him, what else does he need to think of? He just needs to jump on it and have fun doing it.

"Fine."

He extended his hand to the shadow. The excitement dancing in his stomach made it impossible to hide the lunatic grin on his face, but he couldn't care less.

And it seemed like his new business partner did not care about that as well, for the shadow said nothing about the outburst of insanity the mad scientist just displayed and just shook it with its own cold, cold hand.

As if on cue, the magic light of dark purple seeped out from the shadow, covering Scaglietti.

Deafening roaring sound echoed as the power shook the entire prison. Explosions could be heard some distance away, and the walls and the ceilings of the orbital prison started to fall like they were made of cardboards.

Then, the power suddenly seized.

The mad scientist and the shadow were gone.

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Few days later, Fate stood on the very same spot the two had disappeared.

There really wasn't much left from the place. It was practically burnt down to ashes. Worse of all, nobody even _knew_ there was an attack. It wasn't until the regular check-up unit tried to contact the prison guards the next day that they noticed something wasn't right. By the time they had arrived, the place had already become a mess.

Fate had been among the first ones to arrive the distant world. As soon as the news reached Mid-Childa, she had rushed out from her house and left with the fleet of her brother's command.

As for right now, the warship was orbiting slowly around the prison, guarding the crew on the site while communicating with the Headquarter to gather more information.

It had been five hours since Fate and the others began examining the scene, but so far, most of the evidences they found were either too damaged to provide useful information, or required more advanced equipment to have better analysis.

There was some discovery, however. They had found the cause of the fire – which, thankfully, seems like it has nothing to do with mass weapon – and were using this piece of information to extend on their search. It looked like the fire was caused by a sudden eruption of magic power, but the team had yet determined what exactly the eruption originated from. The magic trace was bizarre, and the first analysis they ran had shown it to be a mixture of styles from all different generations, ranging from ancient Belkan to modern Mid-Childan.

The result was unnerving to say the least, and it definitely brought more questions than answer to the already very confused and stressed team. Also, the fact that the damage done on the facility could only be an S- or higher rank mage's doing did not help at all.

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Two officers picked up the giant debris in front of Fate and carried it away from the enforcer's path.

Fate took a step forward, but immediately stopped as the smell of rotting fleshes and blood rushed in her nostril.

Trying hard not to choke, the young enforcer took in smaller breath at a time to get used to it. The unpleasant aroma still made her nauseated, but was more or less bearable. She stepped a little closer, and saw the mangled face of one of the prisoners.

She stared at it for few seconds, and decided to leave the identifying process to the forensic team. She stepped back, away from the remains, and exhaled deeply.

That's the last corpse in the facility.

Taking into account the ashes that presumably belong to possibly three other prisoners, they were missing one body. Just one prisoner.

Orbital prison, uninhabited world No. 9.

Fate felt as if someone had just poured a bucket of cold water on her.

_Could it be?_

She pulled out Bardiche from her pocket, holding the device in front of her. Her heart was pounding fast, and she felt like her dinner from last night – she hadn't eaten breakfast yet – was floating in her throat, threatening to rush out any moment.

"Bardiche, anything from the forensics unit yet?"

"No, sir. It seems like they are having trouble isolating the DNA profiles from the remains-"

Then, the device paused, golden light flashing as new information was received. After what seemed like an eternity, the device finally spoke again.

"Sir, the forensic team just confirmed three different DNA profiles from the evidence."

Fate's heart sank.

"Thank you, Bardiche."

She said to her intelligent device quietly before putting it back to her pocket.

_This is bad._

The rising twin suns of uninhabited world No. 9 made the young enforcer squint. Her fist tightened on her side, subconsciously.

Fate is mostly certain that Jail Scaglietti is on the run.

She doesn't know where he will go, or what he will do, but she is sure it will bring more destruction than the JS Incident.

The only thing she can hope for, although she secretly despises herself for thinking like this, is that whoever attacked the orbital prison would kill Jail Scaglietti first, before he unleashes yet another hell.

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* * *

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Hayate seldom see Fate _this_ anxious at work.

Although the blond often worry too much or behave overprotectively toward others, she is never one to be desperate at the situation.

Fate is strong, and she is good at what she does.

When she puts on her enforcer hat, there is nothing that she cannot achieve. There is no force that can stop Fate. At those moments, Fate is practically invincible.

Oh, by the way, Nanoha agreed with Hayate on that one. Or at least that's what Hayate concluded after she listened to one of her childhood friend complaining about another for being "too deep in work mode" that sometimes when she came home she is hard to deal with.

It might be hard to imagine, but one such example could be provided.

There was once Fate came home and discovered that Vivio had somehow learned to make friends by 'going full on', and as the result, punched a little boy with full strength on the stomach.

The young enforcer had decided to get to the bottom of it, and as consequence, the primary suspect, combat instructor Takamachi Nanoha, was immediately brought to the inquiry room (also known as the master bedroom) and was interrogated.

Of course, the enforcer had got it right all along. Vivio not only learned to 'go full on', she also learned it 'Takamachi style'. Fate had to spend a good three hours trying to rectify what seemed to be planted deep inside the young girl's head.

And at the end, the young combat instructor was proven guilty. Case solved.

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Anyway.

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Hayate still remember how she used to tease Fate for working too hard and being too serious. Maybe it is from the Harlawon family, or maybe it is some sort of enforcer-only occupational disease, but it is like Fate is obsessed when she works.

After looking at the figure of her busy friend for three minutes, Hayate sighed and walked up from behind, and slapped the blonde's head lightly.

"Ha-Hayate?"

The sudden physical attack had totally caught the blond off-guard, and in the long years of being friends with the lightening mage, how many times had Hayate been able to surprise the blond physically? Only a handful.

The fact that the blond seemed to blank out when she was hit, and the expression from her face changed from surprised, unprepared, confused, and suddenly very guilty, was quite telling.

So Hayate sighed.

"How long have you been up?"

"Huh? Well… I, um, not that long?"

Liar. And a terrible one.

Save for the innocent puppy look on the blonde's face, everything from the obvious tiredness in her voice to the faint bags under the ruby eyes were showing just how much the bond was in need of a good rest.

So Hayate took a threatening step closer and put a finger under the enforcer's blinking eyes.

"Fate-chan, we all know you have the wrinkle-free, dark-circle-proof skin quality that models will kill for, but right now you look like a panda. That says _something_. AND. Before you try to feed me any excuses, I'm just going to say Nanoha-chan won't be happy if she hears about it. Do you want to face an angry Nanoha-chan?"

The blond was not quite sure whether the shorter girl stopped to breathe in between her sentences. Probably not. And while there were many things she said she wanted to protest, they all went out of the window when Nanoha's name was mentioned. The last sentence actually made her shiver, and instinctively she just shook her head, fast.

Hayate was grinning inside, but she still kept the stern face, for she knew the battle of getting the enforcer to step away from work was not over yet.

"As your dear childhood friend, I feel the need to punish you."

"But-"

"No buts! Now, do you want me to call Nanoha-chan right here, or do you want to accept the punishment and we can pretend I never see a golden panda?"

Normally Fate would at least protest for the golden panda part, but right now her brain was incapable of dealing with anything less important than avoiding an angry Nanoha, and so she missed the brunette's teasing. Hesitated for only a second, she gave the expression that she will choose the later.

"Good."

And that's when Hayate cannot hide the grin any longer. She quickly walked around the blond and grabbed her shoulders, nudging the blond forward.

"The court hereby sentences you to go eat lunch with your dear friend with the bill on you. The verdict is now in effect! Alright, let's go."

"Wh-what? Now? But Hayate, I haven't finished-"

"I said no but~"

So, that afternoon, all the officers working in the scene watched their boss, the blond enforcer, being half-pushed, half-dragged away by the smiling investigator while the later easily waved away the former's defend in half-singing tone.

Moral of the story? Don't ever have any sort of argument with the Lord of the Night Sky.

Casting-speed-wise, she is the best of the best.

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Half an hour later, Fate found herself sitting with Hayate in the cafeteria of the warship Claudia. She watched her friend chewing the plate of fried noodles with relish, and sighed.

"Here."

She pushed her own plate toward her friend, who raised an eyebrow at her with a hint of disapproval. Seeing the brunette was about to open her mouth, she quickly added.

"I'm full."

The brunette looked at her thoughtfully as she swallowed the last bit of food in her mouth. Deciding to take another approach, she pointed to the almost untouched plate.

"You are wasting food."

"Not if you eat it."

"I thought we are old enough to not be picky on our food."

The brunette shook a finger at her while making the 'tsk, tsk, tsk' noise, earning herself an embarrassed protest. She smiled at her triumph, but soon turned serious again.

"Fate-chan, what's bothering you?"

Fate hesitated, considering whether she should speak of her concerns. She looked at Hayate again, and sighed mentally. Well, it was not like she could hide it from her friend anyway. Hayate always find a way to get down to the bottom of her thought. So she looked around the room, making sure that nobody was paying attention to their conversation.

She waved for Hayate to move closer, and lowered her voice. She was trying hard not to shake, but was sure her voice broke a little.

"I think Jail Scaglietti escaped."

Hayate froze. Fate sighed mentally again, and continued.

"We still don't know if the intruder came for him or what he or she wants with Scaglietti. The marks of the attack suggest that the intruder probably walked right into the front door, killed all the guards there, kept walking, and killed everybody along the way. Then, once he or she reached the end of the hall, some sort of strong spell was released, and we got ourselves this mess."

"Is it possible that Scaglietti is completely destroyed and you just can't find his remains?"

Hayate asked with a bit of hope, but Fate just smiled weakly back to her.

"I wish. There is no evidence on whether he is alive or not. But knowing him, he probably is, and chance is he is already planning for his next crazy research to bring down the world."

Hayate reached out to pat Fate on the shoulder. She tried her best to give her a cheerful grin like she used to, and from the look on Fate's face, she knew she probably succeed.

"Well, escaped or not, trying to bring down the world again or not, we will stop him again and throw him back to the prison butt first. _Ne_, Fate-chan?"

Fate relaxed a little bit at hearing the words, and nodded eagerly to her friend. Reassurance. That was exactly what she needed. She watched her friend sitting back on her chair, and pointing to her plate, grinning.

"Are you sure you are not hungry?"

Fate answered the grin as she picked up her forks and pushed the plate between her and Hayate, the two of them sharing the food, like they always did when they were much younger.

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(To be continued…)

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A/N:

I always found it interesting that some of the call signs popular among Asian fans are not extended to the European/American anime communities. For example, Nanoha is "The Indomitable Ace of Aces(不屈のエースオブエース)", Fate is "The Gentle-Hearted Golden Flash (心優しき金の閃光)", and Hayate is "The Last Lord of the Night Sky(最後の夜天の主)".

I suppose some of the meanings cannot be translated easily from one language to another, which was why I started writing this story again, but in English. I feel like as for now my ideas can be more easily described by the language. (Also the translations sound awkward perhaps?)

But anyway, I love those call signs and the meanings behind, so throughout the story I will continue using them, as I think they suit best with what I hope the writing represents about the characters. So bear with me.

Until the next time :)


	8. Chapter 7 Summer Night

Disclaimer: This story has absolutely nothing to do with the actual MGLN series after StrikeS. I own nothing but my own poor imagination.

My apology if there are some mistakes in this chapter, as I am in a rush to update it to the Internet and also a bit tired that my vision is blurry.

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**Chapter 7 Summer Night**

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Summer in Mid-Childa is supposed to be an exciting season.

As students swarm out from schools to breathe the air of sweet freedom, they find their parents waiting at the parking lots, exchanging family trip plans and recommending places to travel to each other.

The streets are filled with crowds of people, excited by the warm weather and various events taking place. Venders are busy serving customers drinks and foods, with a wide smile on their faces, knowing that at the end of the day when they count the money collected, the hard work would all prove to be worth-while.

The enthusiastic atmosphere continues even to the night.

People would gather around the campfire, enjoying barbeque while listening to folklores and fairy tales that nobody knows exactly when they took place. Or, they would sit on balconies, riverside banks, or just about any places to watch the marvelous fireworks in the night sky.

It is a time when family and friends get together to celebrate the midway of a busy year. And though some would say that it is only half-way through the whole year, most take it as the start of the second half.

The difference is subtle in words, but significant in meaning. The latter is like giving people a pat on the shoulder and saying that they have done a fantastic job making through the first half, and so keep it up for the second half too.

For a nation to be able to accept and adapt to the rapid changes storming through the world, this kind of enthusiasm is necessary.

Summer, in Mid-Childa or just about any other worlds, is supposed to be an excited season.

But this year, the usual cheerfulness cannot be found anywhere in Mid-Childa.

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Ever since the attack of the Orbital Prison, the cities of Mid-Childa had grown increasingly paranoid.

People are afraid, and they are losing faith.

A little bit over a year ago it was the destruction of the Mid-Childan Ground Main Office and the wake of the ancient mass weapon. Now it was the burn-down of a high-security prison that was supposedly one of the most guarded places of the entire Bureau.

What's next?

There were rumors – wild rumors – of what is happening.

Some say that the technologies they developed had advanced beyond what the mentalities of the current generation could handle, and that eventually the powers would collapse upon them and destroy the world. Some say that the disasters were revenges from ancient organizations that were once the Bureau's greatest enemies, and they were claims of their determinations to get back what was supposed to be theirs. Some even say they were all self-directed acts from the Bureau…

Nanoha believed none of it.

Politics was never her strong point, but as far as she could tell, the rumors were just nonsenses people imagined to scare themselves. Or more likely, they were consequences of vultures who wanted something exciting in their boring daily routines. Like some of the media, they had made a point to exaggerate facts and twist truths.

And it was truly amusing how ignorant people can get when the latest case should be true.

Those who made up stories did not seem to realize that, as they happily gossip around and create a panic among everybody around them. It was just like pouring gasoline to a house that was already on fire. A house that, the gossipers were living in as well.

Stupid hurts.

And it didn't just hurt those people. It hurt all those who were somehow connected to them. So now, whenever somebody feels like maybe their own shadow is going to stand up and strangle them, somebody has to rush in and tell them everything is okay.

Somebody, meaning local authorities, and the Bureau.

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Now, don't get her wrong.

Does she think people should be alerted and prepare for the worst? Absolutely.

Not only that, she also think that people should be cautious about what they are seeing or hearing. If something is out of ordinary, they should notify the local authority about the situation, discuss their options if things start to get out of hand.

But that does not mean one should call the police when their pet dog starts barking in front of the television. Nor does it mean one should start screaming for help when the light in the living room flickers.

It is more likely a slight power disruption, or perhaps the consequence of some lightening mage combating the fire knight that caused the power outrage.

At any rate, there is probably nothing to worry about.

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However, as much as the authorities tried to calm the people down, the panic kept on spreading.

And when people become afraid, they act on desperation. Crime rate rose as people feared to not get enough resources and as they felt anger toward the society. The result of course, was people becoming even more afraid. The ripple effect grew larger and larger.

Fortunately, in the midst of this giant mess, someone proposed the Patrol program.

Patrol program was a localized program that recruited people like retired police officers, magic teachers, athletes, and martial artists, in a particular district. The program aimed to train these groups of people to corporate with local law enforcements in response to various types of emergencies.

It is, well, simply put, a neighborhood watch program.

In the beginning, Nanoha had doubted the effectiveness of such program. She participated, of course, as a responsible Bureau officer would, but that was just out of a sense of duty.

So when the program had actually eased the panic among the citizens, Nanoha was really surprised.

She had once asked Fate about it in slight confusion, and the blond enforcer had smiled and patted her head. She explained: it was not the physical accomplishment that the Patrol program was for. The whole purpose of it was to ease the mental stress among the people. The success and brilliance of the Patrol was how the Bureau had promoted it – it sounded reassuring enough that people felt safe again sitting in their houses.

The patrol could have done nothing walking around the whole time and it probably would not matter. The point was that the citizens believed that there were people out there protecting them from harms, and that alone solved most of the problems they were facing. Then, if something really serious should happen, the authorities would have the resources and focus to deal with the problem.

When people just let their imaginations get the best of them, it's really bad.

That was what Nanoha concluded at the end of the conversation, when her daughter had walked into the living room, discovered her always-away mama's presence, and leaped onto the blonde's lap in an excited scream.

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Few days later, Fate was called back to the dimensional navy for work.

The next day, Vivio had gone to one of her classmates' house to finish some summer homework assigned by the school, and Nanoha was off to training the local Patrol team.

By the time the girl decided to call it a day and go home, the sun was already setting but her mama had yet called. Vivio decided to walk home then, by herself.

The parents of her schoolmate seemed a little concerned and offered a ride, but Vivio had politely declined it. She liked the feeling of afternoon breeze brushing through her hair, and she felt the need of some fresh air and alone time. Besides, it was a short walk anyway. It would take her maybe fifteen minutes top if she walks really fast, and so she was rather eager to not having the adults taking her back.

The couple was, of course, not certain at all about it. And they ended up calling the Patrol to send somebody that she could walk home with.

Vivio had ended up talking to Nanoha directly over the phone. With the little girl eager to go out for the walk and still a little bit of works to finish, the young mother had decided to let someone go fetch Vivio first, and she would go home as soon as she is done with the training.

Vivio did not know why her mother sounded like she was smiling over the phone then, but she soon realized as the Patrol member arrived.

The adults exchanged looks.

The one at the door was another girl whose age was only few years older than Vivio.

She was wearing a Ground Force cadet uniform, and she saluted to the couple when they had opened the door for her. Maybe the awkward expression was obvious enough, the girl had put on a very serious and professional expression as she reported to them.

"Ground Forces cadet, Salvia Fantasia, member of Patrol unit at district 031. I'm here for the escort mission of Vivio Takamachi."

Vivio, upon hearing the door opened, had looked out to the door. When she saw the girl waiting by the door, there was a bright smile on her face, and jumped on to the other girl with a happy hug.

"Salvia!"

The raven-haired girl smiled shyly at her friend.

"Long time no see, Vivio."

She then looked back to the couple again, trying her best to keep the professionalism in her posture, but failed as her own excitement of seeing her friend overflew from her face.

"Thank you for calling the Patrol unit, as soon as Ms. Vivio has safely arrived the Takamachi residence, I will send you a message."

The adults looked at each other, then back to the girls again.

They were not sure if it was the best idea, but the almost pleading look on the raven-haired girl's face was too hard to refuse. Finally, they sighed and nodded slowly.

"Alright. But be careful on the way, okay? And see you next time, Vivio?"

"See you next time, Mr. and Ms. Wesley!"

With that, the little Saint King grabbed the hand of the raven-haired girl and ran out of the door.

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"I haven't heard from you for such a long time! How are you doing?"

As soon as they walked out of the Wesley residence, Vivio excitedly stroke up the conversation.

Salvia smiled and let her friend drag her toward the road.

"Sorry for not keeping in touch. I had got into the Ground Forces academy and had been quite busy lately."

"Oh."

There was a hint of disappointment and sadness in the younger girl's reply, and the elder girl reached down to grab her hand with a smile.

"But now things are on track, I'm sure I will be able to keep in touch. That is, if you are still willing to take a friend like me?"

That seems to light up the younger girl's mood right away.

"Of course! And we can hang out more! Oh, I have to tell Fate mama and Nanoha mama about it. Fate mama will surely be glad to hear from you, and Nanoha mama – wait, did Nanoha mama send you to walk me home?"

Salvia smiles sheepishly, and nodded in in response.

"I'm definitely looking forward to see Fate-san again and yes, I have met Nanoha-san just today."

"Do you like Nanoha mama? She is the best of the best, and strong too!…"

The girls continue to chat, not realizing that, a shadow is hiding not far away from them, watching with playful smile.

_So she is the clone of the Sankt Kaiser…_

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What alerted Salvia were the abnormal quietness and the subtle malice surrounding them.

The instinct she developed from her training at the academy had come in handy, but she didn't really have time to feel happy about it.

They were just a few minutes' walk away from the Takamachi residence.

Salvia had activated her staff given by the academy and held on tight to it. She was not certain where the weird feeling came from, but she stood in front of Vivio.

"Salvia?"

Vivio asked curiously, but Salvia just shook her head and gestured the girl to keep moving while she watched her back.

Soon, though, the younger girl had sensed the tension in the atmosphere as well.

The unknown enemy seemed to give up hiding its intent toward the girls, the malignity growing more and more intense.

The girls stopped, as there was an unspoken threat of attack if they were to take another step.

Salvia bit her lower lip as she made the first move. She held her staff higher and started the communication with the control center.

"Cadet Five to base, we have a possible ambush here. Current coordinate at area sixteen, o-nine-six, eight-eight-one. Immediate backup requested. I repeat, possible ambush at area sixteen, civilians involved, request backup…"

Without letting the girl finish, the shadow acted as well.

A ball of dark purple flew to the girls.

"Protection!"

Salvia dropped her communication and held out her staff, building a barrier between the two of them and the attack.

The shadow smirked. _How weak_. It stepped out from its hideout, where the attack came from. A dark purple aura was surrounding its figure, and the hoarse voice hissed at the raven-haired girl in a teasing tone.

"Back off, little girl. I come for Her Majesty over there, not you… Step away now or I won't be gentle like that."

Salvia gritted her teeth.

The unknown mage is way more powerful than her. If a stronger attack comes, she is not confident that she can protect them again.

But instead of showing her weakness, she did what she was trained to do.

"You have just attacked a cadet of the Time-Space Administration Bureau and a civilian. Surrender now and disarm yourself at once, or I will be forced to neutralize you."

She kept her voice calm, but her hands were shaking.

"Neutralize me? That's funny. You could barely take my greeting gift just now. My, my, either kids nowadays are too arrogant, or the Bureau brainwashed you to be blind of your weakness."

Salvia did not reply. She took one step toward the shadow, trying to be as threatening as she possibly could manage.

"I would enjoy teaching you a lesson, but I'm busy right now. I will say this one last time: back away and I won't hurt you."

"It's my duty to protect civilian, so allow me to refuse."

The shadow smirked.

"Well then… let's see if you can take _this_!"

The dark purple aura suddenly came to life as it stormed toward the girls in the form of tenths of spears.

Salvia held on to her staff and raised another barrier with all her might, but her magic shattered like glasses as soon as the spear stroke on it.

She turned and grabbed Vivio, trying to protect the younger girl with her own body, and waited for the pain to come…

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"_Protection._"

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But instead, unfamiliar warmth wrapped around them like a blanket.

"You two alright?"

Dashing toward the two youngsters was the indigo-haired teen in white barrier jacket. Vivio, immediately recognizing the mage, let out a surprised cheer.

"Subaru-san!"

Subaru Nakachima maneuvered in her rollerblades just few feet in front of the girls, and put up her hands to show them that she has got them.

"It's okay now. I'm here, and help is on their way!"

While the two sighed in relief, she turned to face the unfriendly shadow.

"And you, put down your weapon now!"

An annoyed 'tsk' is the only response she got.

_Another brainwashed dog of the Bureau_.

The shadow thought bitterly, and raised a hand for yet another attack.

However, the spell was interrupted by a bright cherry color magic beam the width of a coffee table. The beam barely brushed past the shadow. If not for the sudden sense of danger, the shadow would have been shot down for sure.

The signature was unmistakable.

The Ace of Aces was floating only a few yards away, her slate blue eyes burning flame.

She was furious and glad at the same time. She was furious at this person who dared to _think_ about harming her daughter, furious that the other little girl almost got killed, and furious that she was almost too late to save them.

But fate stood on her side. Subaru was at the training center for temporary support and she just so happened to meet her before the distress signal reached them. She was glad that her student could move just a little bit faster than she could that the two girls were saved. She was glad that whoever this person was seemed to fear her, even just the slightest bit. And she was glad, glad that the Patrol program made it possible for them to respond to this attack so quickly.

She could focus completely on the problem.

"Next time, I won't miss."

Her voice was sweet and soft still, but the threat is obvious.

The shadow cursed under its breath.

It's not that fighting the two mages while they try to protect the youngsters is hard. With the power at hand, even destroying a city or two is a piece of cake.

But the risk is too high.

The latest attack from the white mage had somehow made its magic unstable.

There is a pounding pain in the shadow's head that makes it apparent that the battle has to stop now. If the forbidden power is forced to be unleashed any further, it will surely go berserk.

The shadow sighed.

_Maybe it is not time yet… this attack was too much impulse and too little planning._

_Besides, there is something else to worry about._

"Hey! Wait!"

Sensing the shadow's retreat, Subaru dashes forward in an attempt to knock out the enemy.

But the shadow just laughed and waved casually, summoning a small storm to block away the attack.

"Don't worry, we shall meet again, but maybe not so soon yet…"

When the laughter and the storm finally died down, the shadow had already disappeared, without a trace.

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(To be continued…)

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A/N:

Since I don't really know any Mid-Childan holidays or how their calendar works, I just assumed them to be extremely close to the calendar we use. I did see the Wiki giving dates to events in the series, up until the end of A's series they still specified the time to be "Earth Time", but in StrikerS they didn't say, and it's still the calendar we know, so…

Until the next time :)


	9. Chapter 8 Since the Day of the Snow

Disclaimer: This story has absolutely nothing to do with the actual MGLN series after StrikeS. I own nothing but my own poor imagination.

A/N: Did I mention how much I love Hayate? Wait, I said that before, didn't I.

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**Chapter 8 Since the Day of the Snow**

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When the Three Admirals had secretly launched "Mission Reingung", they had thought about recruiting the young Yagami Hayate and Fate Testarossa Harlawon to the team.

The two women are talented, and well-trained, at information gathering and data processing. They are powerful mage with special abilities – one carries the knowledge that date back to the ancient Belka, and the other possesses the strength and agility of lightening.

If they participate in this mission, it would increase the chance of success of the mission, and perhaps the mission would be carried out smoothly. What stopped them, however, was the uncertainties of what they were trying to do, the one possible future that just _might_ happen.

Mission Reingung was a gamble.

While they had made a point to let the members act in complete silence to prevent any forms of leak, there was really no guarantee to it. Some of the best agents the Bureau recruited were probably smart enough to sense something going on, and ironically, it was this sort of people they needed to investigate with precaution the most.

If the mission should fall apart, it just _might_ lead to the future they are afraid of.

And if that really happens – if they fail to stop it – the Bureau would need leaders to guide them through the chaos of change. If revolutions are inevitable, then they hope that at least the people who oversee the changes of the world are ones with courage, will, and wisdom.

They need leaders that can guide the world toward peace. They need somebody who can protect their beliefs –

They have put their hopes and faiths in the young aces.

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At the same time, the Admirals know how the Cradle Incident had alerted many high-rank officers in the Bureau.

Some of these people have sponsored or even supervised in the illegal researches, like the one Jail Scaglietti conducted, and they are panicking under the fear of being exposed. The others are just plain outraged by the event, and come to realize the need to treat the crisis of the Ground with more, if not same, degree of caution as they do in the Dimensional Sea.

Both kinds of people had acted on their own, planning to wipe out evidences or organizing private investigations toward the inner part of the Bureau.

It doesn't matter.

To the Admirals, the chaos under the table might be the best camouflage for Mission Reingung. It would make their actions easier, and at the same time reveal more information that will be useful to them.

Unlike the High Councils who desire to stay as the masterminds of the Bureau forever, the Admirals never consider themselves to have control over the Bureau in any shape or form.

The members make up the Bureau – their minds are the Bureau's mind; their goals are the Bureau's goal – without its people, the organization is nothing but a mere name.

They were merely three old agents who had been here long enough to see the many beautiful stories and tragedies taken place. They were merely three officers who survived the riotous periods of history and were given leaderships because they had seen more than the others.

However, they also knew that their reputation is only valuable and powerful when the people believe in them. They might be able to offer their experiences and opinions, but it is up to the others to take the advice or not.

And like how people once believe in them as leaders, as they age and lose the hearts of many new-comers, they believe in the people to come to the solution.

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Hayate sighed as she saved her report and shut off the screen few inches in front of her face.

The room turned into darkness, and the young Investigator fell back to her chair.

She had been working since five o'clock that morning, and had only stopped twice during the day for a coffee break.

She rubbed her eyes, her attention drifting back to the draft she just finished typing. The evidences were not quite complete yet, and she knew she still had a lot to do before she could hand this to her superior. But, she was certain of the sponsorship on the illegal research of mass weapon, conducted by one of the highest commands in the Ground Force.

Hayate had met with Enforcer Alina Fantasia again earlier that day for her professional opinion on the matter.

Enforcer Fantasia had an outstanding resume on dealing with organizational scandals, corruption, and relative crimes – her file in the Bureau recorded her successes of beyond fifty such cases at various worlds before she was married.

Professionally, she was a great consultant. And personally, Hayate felt like she could trust her.

The enforcer was having a short break when Hayate knocked on her door, but she seemed not at all surprised by the investigator's visit.

Was she expecting her? Hayate couldn't tell.

They sat down at the very same couch they had first exchanged information, and like their last encounter, talked in riddles. Enforcer Fantasia seemed to be very cautious about what was said all the time, even in a private room like this. Hayate did not know why, but she knew better than to ask, so she just played along.

But it was also Enforcer Fantasia who first broke the unspoken rule.

It was in response of a seemingly innocent statement by Hayate.

"Speaking of which, Lieutenant-General Vindexta seemed to be the type to like science fiction."

"Vindexta?"

The enforcer paused, and thought for a brief moment.

Then, she motioned Hayate to come closer, and used her magic to call forth a screen. It was a file of a man.

She looked down at her watch before speaking again.

"Hayate-san, do you know this man?"

Hayate shook her head. This man looked familiar, but she was uncertain whether she had mixed him up with someone else.

"This is Admiral Krog Onara."

She stated calmly, and waved to maximize several images of the admiral standing on the stage with another man, debating.

"He had gone missing last year, actually, _disappeared_ from his house at Mid-Childa."

She paused, hesitating whether to reveal the following information.

"The Rescue Corps found traces of mass weapon in his house."

"What? But how come-"

"There was no report, because nobody knew about it."

The expression on the elder woman's face turned to worry. She waved a hand, and all the images disappeared.

"Vindexta suppressed the information, and he made the people who discovered it swore to never tell what they had seen. Well… as for how _I_ know about it, let's just say it's a surprise discovery."

She chuckled lightly, before looking at the brunette with seriousness again.

"What I want you to know is this: Admiral Onara had been rival with Lieutenant-General Vindexta on the debate of mass weapon legalization for quite a long time."

She paused.

"And, they were best friends once, with the current commander of the Cpital Air Force, Kentoru Cendrik. They were best friends until an accident took away Vindexta's magic ability."

Then, Enforcer Fantasia stood up and walked toward the door, apologizing that her break time was up and she had to get back to work.

Hayate shuddered at the memory.

If what they suspected were true, then Vindexta was involved in the disappearance of the admiral. What's more, he might have killed the admiral through the forbidden force of mass weapon.

How could someone do it to their best friend?

Hayate found it hard to believe their suspicion is true, maybe it was because the evidences were not enough to convince her, or maybe she just didn't want to think of that possibility.

After all, the events were too similar to some of her personal experiences. Except she had not grown apart from her injured friend, and her friend had, with extreme determination and harsh work, regained her ability.

And then she remembered what happened to Lieutenant-General Regius Gaiz. Who, in his attempt to increase the power of the Ground Force, had caused the death of his close friend Zest Grangaitz.

Perhaps Hayate did not want to doubt Vindexta because these were all too dangerously similar.

She would never forgive herself if she ever hurt her best friends. They saved her from the destruction of the corrupted defense program of Reinforce. They saved her knights by reaching out the helping hands. And they had walked with her to a future she wanted to see, all these years together.

She loved them so dearly that it hurts to even think about hurting them.

Therefore, she would never forgive herself if she ever brings sadness to her friends' lives. And she would kill herself – not suicide, there are many worse than death – if she ever injure them.

And so she was afraid. She was afraid because she was walking a path that might lead her away from her best friends. She was walking on a think line that might throw her to the opposite side from her friends. She was afraid because she might stand against them as enemy.

And Hayate didn't want to think of the possibility that one day, she might point her weapon at her best friends, the ones who saved her and the Tome of the Night Sky.

Hayate sighed again and leaned forward to her office desk. She felt exhausted, yet it was not solely because of the long-hour work.

She was tired, and it was quite late already, but she had no intention to leave just yet.

Partly it was because the desk felt so comfortable all of a sudden, and partly, it was because the Clouds Knights would not be home tonight.

Signum and Zafira were on the night patrol, Vita was away to train a new group of mages, and Shamal was called to the hospital at the Headquarter last minute for an emergency operation. Even Rein was sent to give a status report to her supervisors and would not be back until at least tomorrow morning.

Hayate waved away the lonely thoughts and everything that was bothering her, and shut her eyes to rest.

_Just for a while._

She thought to herself, and relaxed a little bit more.

_I will just stay like this for a little while…_

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* * *

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The first snow of the year is never cold.

Hayate had heard many kinds of scientific explanations. Some says it is because the process of water vapor transforming into snow crystals releases energy. Some says it is because snow fall is the result of warm moist airs hitting the cold dry front. Some even says that is just psychology, it is actually very cold when it snows.

But deep down in her heart, Hayate had known the snow is warm.

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It was in the morning, yet somehow it didn't feel like it.

The sun was hidden behind the heavy grey clouds, and it was snowing. The white substances were falling, spinning, quietly down to the ground. The world was filled with silence, like a television that was muted.

She was standing in the middle of the snow, alone.

Her azure blue eyes saw through distances far beyond the sky, beyond the brim of the planet, and even beyond the universe. She was looking to a memory. A distant memory.

It was the faraway memory of the day she lost one her most treasured family. That day of the snow, she watched in helplessness as the one who had endured a long, lonely life dissolved into the grey sky.

It was all too fast.

She had only seen her for real, and there was so much she wanted to give her… so much love and care and happiness she wanted to grant her for. And as sudden as she appeared before Hayate, she was gone.

And even till this day, Hayate still lives in the pain and regret of her inability to save Reinforce.

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A small white light caught her attention. She snapped out from her thoughts, and stare at it.

The light was growing stronger, and moving slowly toward her.

And so she smiled and reached out to that snowflake. She held it in her palm with all the gentleness and carefulness she had. And that simple action – just simply holding on to the whiteness – had warmed her entire body.

Ever since some magician in the far past had corrupted the defense system of the Tome of the Night Sky, people had come to consider the device a curse, a destructive force that should not be allowed to exist in the world. Even after Reinforce was gone and the tome was no longer threat to anyone other than those who held ill will against its master, people still couldn't wipe away the thought.

But they are all wrong.

Hayate knew the truth, for it was carved deep in her soul. The name of the Tome of the Night Sky should not be mentioned with anger, hatred, or despair. What people have come to nickname it and the Knights – the Book of Darkness – it does not suit them.

The Cloud Knights are her loyal protectors, her dearest family.

And Reinforce is the warm snowflake in her hand. She is the wind of blessing. She is the guardian angel of the night sky.

"_My Meister…_"

She can hear her voice echoing in the quietness. The voice was so tender with caring, yet it was so sad at the same time.

"Reinforce."

She answered her call almost by instinct. Looking up, she could see her smile through the light snow surrounding her. The gentle light touching on her skin was almost too much to bear, yet she cannot get enough.

"Reinforce…"

Hayate closed her eyes and called her name again, knowing she was only dreaming.

Reinforce was gone.

It had been years since the snowy day she dissolved into the sky and left her with sadness. She had been seeing her in her dreams ever since. Through these dreams, she would feel so peaceful and protected, and she would feel completed again.

She wanted to never let go of that feeling, even if all she could feel when she wakes up is the cold air and overwhelming regrets.

She had come to accept it as a part of her, and she swore she will never forget.

She will forever be the girl stumbling forward to protect her loved ones by all means.

And even though sometimes she would catch herself feeling utterly alone standing in the middle of a crowd, though sometimes she might stray from her path, she will not forget the promise she made to be strong and live a happy life for her.

And that is good enough.

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* * *

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"Meister Hayate?"

A little sweet voice was calling out to her. Hayate stirred slightly and groaned.

"Hmmmm… Rein?"

She sleepily rubbed her eyes few times before sitting up straight from her office desk.

"Morning…"

"Good morning, Meister… wait! No, not that! Has Meister Hayate been working overnight again?!"

Hayate gave Rein an innocent look, totally not avoiding the question from her youngest family member, _totally_.

"But you just woke me up."

"AH! Mou! Hayate-chan!"

Rein flied upward and stopped in front of her master, a pout on the childish face that was supposed to express disapproval of her mistress' behavior.

"You have been working too hard! If this continues, I have to ask Shamal to ban you from working for a whole week to rest! Besides, Rein can handle some of the work for you, too!"

Hayate smiled and put her hand up to pat the little cyan-haired girl.

"I was joking. Last night I just fell asleep before I could get into bed. Next time I will sleep properly, so don't tell Shamal, okay?"

Rein looked up to her master, eyes shining with expectation and innocence.

"Promise?"

Hayate chuckled.

"Yupe, promise. And how about this? To make it up for Rein, I will make your favorite dessert tonight."

Rein beamed at the words.

"Really?"

When Hayate replied with a nod, she jumped into midair in joy and exclaimed a happy 'Yay!'

Hayate laughed and patted her again.

"Okay then, now time to get back to work, but don't spend the whole time thinking about the dessert."

Pretending to ignore the slight protest from the cyan-haired girl, Hayate stretched her stiffened body, and opened the report from the previous night. A picture of three young men that she did not notice appeared on the very end of the report.

It was a picture of three young men. One had chestnut hair and amber eyes, another had indigo blue hair and azure-blue eyes, and the last one with cobalt color hair and crimson red eyes.

Their arms were put around each other's shoulder, and they were all laughing.

Hayate paused for a moment, just staring at the picture.

She did not know what happened to those young men. She did not know whether one of them killed another, and if so, why.

She wanted to believe in the innocence on their faces. She wanted to believe in the pure joy they had shown because they were with their best friends. She wanted to believe that, the three of them together can get through anything and everything.

She did not know if it was true, but she wanted to believe that, she was doing the right thing, and she would not hurt her friends.

She wanted to believe that she was able to keep her promise.

The promise she made the day of the snow.

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(To be continued…)

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A/N:

I swore I still died a little inside whenever I watch Episode 24. No matter how I see it, Fate was being played… on the other hand, the scene of Hayate arriving to catch Vita… OH MY GOD. **LONG LIVE MY LORD.**

And yupe, threw some scientific explanations in there of why it feels warmer when it snow than when snow is melting, totally not geeky at all.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and maybe the next one?


	10. Chapter 9 The Promise of Tomorrow

Disclaimer: This story has absolutely nothing to do with the actual MGLN series after StrikeS. I own nothing but my own poor imagination.

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**Chapter 9 - The Promise of Tomorrow**

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It is a common joke in the Bureau that one standard procedure of becoming an enforcer is to have one's brain installing some sort of scanning program that will allow one to read through ten pages of report in less than one minute.

Save for the installing program part, the rest is pretty much true. The enforcers are known for their mobility both on the battlefield and in the office.

But even with that kind of ability, Alina Fantasia still spent thirty-six hours to read through all the reports from every member of Mission Reingung.

When she was finally done, it was six in the morning.

She rubbed her sore eyes and lied back to the couch in her apartment. The mug on the table was empty now, but it had been filled at least ten times during the long night of work.

At least. She thought to herself. This stage was almost finished.

There would be one last meeting for the whole team, for each individual to give a direct oral presentation about anything that he or she considered exceptionally important, and she would compare those to the final report she was preparing for the Three Admirals, adding notes and comments accordingly.

After that, the team would destroy any personal records they possess in front of her eyes, and leave the meeting room as if nothing had happened.

Should there be a need for the second stage to put under action, the previous participants would be asked for their services with the option to stay out of it, and new candidates would be selected to fill in any shortage of manpower.

She would probably stay, for her daughter was no longer in need of her protection, and she wanted to do what she can to make the world better for her sake.

She was not sure yet, but it didn't matter. There would be time to consider the matter before she has to make a decision…

Maybe.

She sighed and massaged her eyes with a little bit more force, attempting to rub the unpleasant thoughts away from her.

They were just from the tiredness. There were no information leakage from the team member, or even if there were, those people supported them…

…they do, right?

Alina opened her eyes again and glanced at the clock. She should get prepared. The meeting would start in less than an hour.

It was not time to feel concerned. Not yet.

She pushed herself away from the comfort of the couch and stood up. Looking around the empty apartment for one last time, and walked the master bedroom to get changed to her usual enforcer uniform.

Salvia would be back tomorrow morning, and she should really get some rest before that so she could spend some quality time with her daughter.

There was nothing out of ordinary.

Tomorrow seemed to be something granted.

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* * *

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It was quarter after eleven in the night.

For security reasons, the meeting place was chosen in a rural district of central Mid-Childa that was sparsely populated and supposedly under the Bureau's surveillance.

However, when Alina Fantasia walked into the designated meeting place, she was shocked.

Nobody other than the members of Mission Reingung was supposed to know this place.

_So how could all of them be dead_?

She grasped tightly at her intelligent devices as she surveyed around the dark room.

They were all dead. The people she had been working with for the past two years, they were all dead, lying across the floor of the room, expression of disbelief, horror, and pain written on their faces as their live were taken so suddenly.

Through the dim light, she saw the young woman closest to her and the door. She was lying face up, and a pool of dark liquid seeped under her torn body.

The smell of death was suffocating.

Alina searched further, seeing more faces with similar expressions, and she just couldn't believe it.

…until at least, she saw a dark figure sitting on the far end of the conference table.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Was it a survivor? Or…

The figure stood up, and she froze in place.

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The Shadow looked at her with somber purple eyes.

"How could you… You did this?"

Caught in shock and disbelief, Alina mumbled out her question, though the answer was obvious.

"And so I did." The Shadow replied, without emotion. "You are surprised?"

Alina almost took a step back, but her training as an enforcer stopped her from doing so.

Instead she stepped forward, and grasped at her devices tighter.

"But why?"

The Shadow turned away from her, looking up.

"The Bureau is corrupted."

Alina shook her head, in what, she no longer knew.

"Maybe… but that was why we were gathered."

"No."

The Shadow replied, turning back to look at her.

"You cannot fix something as broken as this. Have you really not noticed that?"

Before the enforcer could reply, the Shadow waved a hand at all the dead bodies around him if in great sadness. But for some reason Alina just didn't believe that, the gesture gave a hint of indifference.

"These dolls of the Bureau here… they knew nothing but to follow orders. They lived a life that had lost meaning. They were merely zombies wearing uniform. Don't you think a life like that is sad? I do, so I relieved them from the suffering."

The Shadow stated so calmly, no, emotionlessly. It was as if it was not people's lives they were talking about. It was as if the people lying dead around them were merely robots without souls. The Shadow talked about killing them as if talking about deleting outdated computer programs.

The casualness and carelessness agitated Alina.

"You have no rights." She shot back. "We were here because of what we believed in, and we were here because of the path we chose. I don't disagree that there are still corruptions in the system, and there probably always will be so long as human being exists, but it is through these imperfections that the most precious emotions emerge. Think about faith, think about hope. Sometimes the most beautiful things come from the most terrible situation, and that is the proof that life will find a way out no matter what. You have no rights to take it away."

The Shadow was silent for a while. The words had stirred up some distant memory. They made the Shadow feel turmoil of emotions that it could not understand. The somber purple eyes watched the enforcer for a long while, as if searching for an answer.

But nothing else came, and the Shadow sighed. It spoke again. The voice was lighter, but still shallow.

"I once thought the same, but something changed my mind…"

But what was it that changed? The shadow could not remember anymore.

It seemed insignificant. What was important was what to do next.

"… so I suppose you will not join me to reform the corrupted system, will you?"

When the black-haired woman gave back a firm shake of head, the shadow signed.

"Then, I'm really sorry."

Dark purple aura of magic intensified around the room. The enforcer activated her devices as fast as she could, but it was still too late.

Spear made by the cursed power broke through the incomplete shield she barely managed to get up, and pierced through her left chest, lifting her body high up to the midair before falling down silently.

The Shadow turned away from the scene. The purple aura silently wrapped around its figure.

Alina struggled to call forth her magic for an attack, trying to stop the Shadow. But she was too weak.

Before gravity finally took over, slamming her fragile body to the concrete floor, the Shadow had disappeared from the meeting room.

The elite enforcer, 'Saintly Dame' Alinda Fantasia, sighed for one last time.

She closed her eyes.

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* * *

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"**NOO**!"

Salvia Fantasia sat up abruptly from her bunker bed in the dormitory of the Fourth Ground Forces Academy.

Her body was soaked in cold sweat, and she was panting like she had just run a hundred miles with full speed. Oxygen tasted sweet, but bitter at the same time. It hurt to breathe; there were waves of sharp pain in her chest accompanying the action. But she just couldn't help it.

She struggled for another lungful of air, only to almost choke herself.

The pain made her eyes water, but she refused to cry.

"What-? Salvia? What's wrong?"

A worried voice appeared from the top bunk.

It was Salvia's roommate and training partner, a blue-haired girl named Lillian Heilig. She had jolted upright the instant the sound reached her eardrum, and heard the agonizing breathing of the girl on the lower bunk.

Salvia blinked as she heard the familiar voice of her roommate, and the rustling sound of her climbing down from the top bunk, her brain slowly caught up to reality. She put her face in her hands in the attempt to calm herself down.

Bad move.

The images from the nightmare came rushing back in the darkness. Thought they were just pieces that did not make any sense, deep down in her heart she thought she knew what they meant.

She just chose not to understand. They made her heart ached, her eyes blurred with tears, and her throat choked with emotions.

She could feel the other girl looking at her now, and she tried to get a hold on herself, but she couldn't.

"Salvia?"

Lillian was sitting next to her now, a hand wiping away the cold sweat on her roommate's forehead.

Salvia slowly moved her hands away from her face. The images disappeared. She blinked again, focusing her gaze on the other girl, on reality. She was sitting in her dormitory, not in the unknown place from the nightmare.

Finally she calmed down enough. She looked at her friend, and gave her a weak smile.

"I'm fine. Sorry to wake you up."

She tried to speak, but her voice was barely a whisk.

"Don't worry about me. What are roommates for? …but are you sure you are fine? You look really pale."

"Really, I'm fine… AH!"

As she spoke and tried to move, an unexpected sharpness shot through her lower right leg.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing Salvia bent over in pain, Lillian immediately became nervous again, looking carefully at the raven-haired girl for any sign of discomfort or injuries.

Lillian Heilig was the kind of girl that worries too much about other people. She cannot stand injustice and mistreatment on others, and she would pour every bit of energy she has to help someone in trouble if she sees one. She was kind and gentle, but firm on her own principles.

She was talented in magic but always humble to learn, and that impressed and satisfied every teacher and instructor who ever had her in class. She was good-hearted and charming, and that earned her the respects and admirations of her schoolmates.

She was nothing like Salvia Fantasia, whose social awkwardness and stubbornness had built a wall between her and everyone else. It was not that the raven-haired girl was bullied at the academy – the instructors will not allow it – but people her age just found her hard to approach, and so they avoided her.

And yet, Lillian Heilig had become best friends with Salvia Fantasia. The combination seemed strange, but they proved to be fitting partners.

But even as unequivocal partners, sometimes Salvia still caught Lillian by surprise.

For example, now, as the other girl just smiled sheepishly at her nervousness.

"I think it's just a muscle spasm… haha."

Lillian looked at her, wordless.

.

It was at that convenient time that their door was knocked.

The girls looked at each other curiously, and thought of the same thing – were they really that loud it woke up the warden?

Salvia tried to get up to go to the door, but the pain had almost made her trip over.

Lillian rolled her eyes at her roommate, but still helped her to sit back on the bed.

"Stay here and don't move your leg."

_Or I will smack you when I get back_. That was the unsaid part, but Salvia had known already and sunk back to her bunker bed.

Nodding with satisfaction, Lillian then jumped off the bed to get the door.

And it was the warden alright.

The immediate reaction that came to Salvia was feeling utterly embarrassed. It seemed like her scream had woken up the warden and she had come to knock on their door, demanding to know what happened. It would be all over the dormitory by tomorrow…

But then, something caught her attention. It did not seem to match what she was thinking.

When Lillian opened the door, the warden was obviously looking for her. But when their eyes met for a brief second, the warden had averted her gaze quickly.

It almost felt like she could not look at her. And since when did the stern warden _ever_ look away from a student?

Now, she was speaking to Lillian in a hush voice – almost like she did not want Salvia to know what they were saying. What's even stranger was the rapid change on the other girl's face.

It had turned from confusion, to worry, and then finally to terror.

Salvia had a bad feeling about this.

So when the blue-haired girl rushed back to her side, she subconsciously took a step back and bumped her head against the top bunk bed. She did not even have the time to whine before the other girl took her hand, shaking, and told her to stay calm for what she was about to tell her.

No, she did not want to know.

But she dared not to interrupt, because Lillian looked like she was about to cry, and all Salvia could do was to watch her trembling friend and listen to her repeating word by word what the warden had just said to her.

_No, why do you do this? I don't want to know_.

She could hear her own voice screaming in her head the whole time Lillian was speaking.

And when the words finally sank in her head, in a terribly slow and painful way, she realized she was right the moment she saw the warden at the door.

She did not want to know.

"I'm so sorry…"

She heard Lillian sobbing, and she wanted to wipe away her tears but she couldn't because she had frozen in that place.

The words echoed in her head again, this time like a broken record just repeating over and over and over. It hurt. It hurt so much. Wasn't it her lower leg that was hurting?

So why was the pain coming from her chest?

Why couldn't she breathe?

She put her hands around her ears, refusing to listen to the cursed words anymore, though all the sound remaining in the room was Lillian's quiet sob. Her sudden movements knocked off something that was on the bedside table. The noise made her jerk her head.

She looked down.

It was the picture of her and her mother in an amusement park almost two years ago, when they had gone to Earth to visit her parents' hometown.

She remembered the melting ice cream in her hands.

-it tasted so sweet, but why did it disappear so fast?

She remembered the gentle smile on her mother's face.

-if she had gone with her instead of visiting her new friend, would something have changed?

She remembered the scene of leafs spinning in the midair in the park when her mother left for work.

-was it a warning? Was it symbolizing her mother's decrease, her body falling lifelessly to a place she could not reach?

She was supposed to be there.

She was supposed to help her. To carry some weight for her. To save her.

'_Salvia, be good, okay?_'

She heard her mother asking softly.

For one last time.

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The funeral was held a week after.

Salvia stood in the middle of the cemetery, looking up at the grey sky. It looked just like the day of her father's funeral.

At that time, she had cried so hard she thought she would eventually suffocate. But Alina was there. She held her gently and tightly in her protective arms, and hid her own grief for her.

She whispered sweet soothing words to her, rocking her back and forth like she used to when the girl in her arms was still a tiny bundle.

Salvia had cried, and held on to her mother for dear life. She had held on to her so hard that the expensive black dress her father had given to her mother was ravaged. She apologized and felt guilty afterward, but her mother only smiled and said it was okay.

She said she would be there for her.

But not anymore.

From now on, when she walks back into that little apartment that was once home, there would not be someone to say 'welcome back' to her.

From now on, when she feels overwhelmed and lost, there would not be someone shifting her attention with her favorite chocolate cookies but still sit down with her to talk for the whole night.

From now on, when she feels helpless and when she feels like giving up, there would not be someone squeezing her shoulder or hugging her, whispering gentle encouragements that make her feel like she can still stand up.

The one person who would do all that was gone.

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Salvia had tried to convince herself that her mother had only fallen asleep after a long day of work. She would wake up again soon, preparing for breakfast or taking her to shop, just like usual.

It felt better to believe in that. At least she would not feel so empty, and there would still be hope.

But whenever she looked into the coffin and see the face that was too pale to be her mother. Whenever she touched those cold and stiff hands that did not belong to her. Whenever she whispered 'Mother' next to her years, but got no response.

She knew she was gone.

And she knew she would never come back.

Again and again she fell down to her knees and cried.

Again and again she was reminded of the reality.

It was a reality that tore her apart deeper and deeper every single time.

When people got used to the daily routines, tomorrow seemed to be something granted.

But it never is.

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(To be continued…)

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A/N:

Almost forgot to say, I am having issues with my internet at home (not my laptop's problem since I'm using it now to post these two chapters… hmmm, I wonder…). So although I had written all the drafts for the first part of this series, I am not gonna post them just yet.

That being said, what did I mean by first part of this series? Well… you see, my plot is dragging for way too long. Way longer than what I expected when I started to write this, so I decided to break it down to series (hence the title change).

The end of this series will be Chapter 14 and will be up by Christmas – if I survive my finals – and I will start the next part of the story right away.

My apology for making this such a long story, and I wish you will find it enjoyable and keep reading to see the ending.

Until the next time :)


	11. Chapter 10 Quite Typical

Disclaimer: This story has absolutely nothing to do with the actual MGLN series after StrikeS. I own nothing but my own poor imagination.

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**Chapter 10 Quite Typical**

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The funerals of other members of the Mission Reingung took place after that of Alina Fantasia, several of which were in the persons' hometowns rather than in Mid-Childa.

The people still had no idea of what actually happened. They were told that the people assembled there were just doing some minor Bureau business, and that the murder was still under investigation, the motivation of the murderer still unclear at the moment.

Among the people however, there were already rumors spreading like wildfire. There were sayings that the team was conspiring some unspeakable schemes and that the Bureau sent people to kill them, or they were actually planning to reveal some serious corruption in the Bureau but the high-ups found out about it and silenced them for once. Some even believed that they were just innocent people being targeted by the rumored ancient fraternity.

But rumors were just rumors. It would be a long time before the truth would be revealed. Be it to protect other, if there should be any, people involved in the case, or be it to avoid exposing another stain on the already fragile reputation of the Bureau, no information is to be released yet.

Unlike during other incidents, even the names of the dead were kept a secret. Reporters could only get their hands on so much information released by the officials, that they started targeting civilian critics who had come up with thousands different theories.

To an extent, the freedom of speech can be overwhelmingly frustrating, for it gives people the privilege to say whatever they want – event if it was not even close to the truth – but at the same time, it keeps the people… _entertained_, and most if not all of them merely read through the news, make some remarks, and move on with their own life.

And maybe that was a good thing. Fate thought to herself, momentarily distracted before the casket of yet another victim was lowered into the hollow hole in the middle of the cemetery.

It was not quite the correct thought to have, but it's quite typical for officers who have enough on their plates to think that way.

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Thirty minutes or so later, Fate was sitting across from Hayate in a café shop nearby. They had planned this meeting as soon as they heard about the incident, knowing that each other would have some information to share. But so far, neither of them had spoken.

It wasn't until the waitress had set down their orders that the silence was finally broken.

"Dark coffee?"

Fate glanced at her friend who had an amused look on her face, and shrugged.

"Didn't really feel like anything sweet at the moment."

It was rare for a Harlawon to order anything other than sweet during off-work hours, save for Chrono. Yet, it was perfectly understandable when considering the situation.

"How many people did the Navy lost?"

"Five… but I think maybe seven. The last two people have their funerals planned at next week, and they came from non-administrated worlds, but the timeline matches."

Fate took a sip of her coffee and felt the bitter taste escalating at her words.

She and Hayate were not sure of what was going on as well, really, but they had put together pieces that linked together several seemingly insignificant incidents which in turn pointed to something much bigger than they had anticipated.

And since both knew the raven-haired enforcer personally, it wasn't really that hard to see the connections. Somebody inside the Bureau was planning something, that's for sure. But who planned it, what was carried out, why was it, and when had it started, they were still uncertain. What bothered them even more was who murdered all these people? What would be his or her, or _their_, next move? If the rumors were true and that it had been someone who contends the Bureau, why hadn't they shown themselves yet?

Is there going to be something even more shaking?

"Well… I guess the Ground Force is taking the hit hardest then."

Hayate raised her beverage too while mumbling to herself, stirring her cup of green tea. The brunette seemed to hesitate and Fate noticed that, so the blond said nothing and waited for her friend to speak out.

"And… how is that little girl doing? You know, Enforcer Alina's daughter?"

Hayate had chosen her words carefully and her voice had turned softer, as the issue was sensitive and, unknown to Fate, the brunette had observed the slight frown that the blond herself did not know she had.

And in that regard Hayate was right. Fate felt something in her tightened as she remembered the look on the said girl's face when she had seen her after Alina's funeral.

That desperate and lost look was all too familiar to her.

From all the children who she managed to save in her works, she had seen that at one point or another. And many years ago, when Precia Testarossa denied Fate's existence, and when she refused to take her hand and fallen into the dimensional gap, didn't Fate herself look just that?

Maybe that was why she could not resist the urge to take the girl in.

"She is… quiet."

She bit her lips.

"I got permission to keep her under my custody for a little while, until the officials decide what to do. Strictly speaking she is still a minor, and even though she is currently a cadet in the Ground Forces Academy, there are still some legal issues that will need to be sorted."

Alina had a will, which instructed to leave whatever property she had to her daughter, but there was no statement of who the girl should be living with if she deceases. The reason of that, as Fate soon discovered, was that because there were none. All the relatives, including both Satoshi's and Alina's sides, had been killed in a bloody night fifteen years ago.

It was supposed to be just a theft case. Nobody was supposed to get hurt.

However, in the non-administrated world the family lived in, it was not magic that the residents use as means of force. And it just so happened that the group of thieves had brought that kind of force with them.

Non-administrated No. 97.

Earth.

One of the kids living there woke up in the middle of night, probably for a glass of water or to go to the washroom, and bumped into the thieves. The kid ran away screaming for help. And out of panic, the bandits started shooting.

Salvia is the last of the Fantasia family.

They both lowered their heads in remorse of the tragedy. After a while, Hayate spoke again, concerned.

"What will happen to her afterwards?"

"If she recovers well enough, they would probably allow her back to the academy. If not… she will be sent to foster care arranged by the Bureau. But either case, we will keep an eye on her for quite a bit."

In fact, as soon as Fate volunteered to take Salvia under her custody, Leone Phils, one of the Three Legendary Admirals, had contacted her personally.

On the surface it was for some legal issues that he needed to speak to her personally, but Fate knew it was more than that from the very moment she saw the Judicial Advisor. If it was not for something urgent, someone like him would not be troubled to meet with her in person.

And she was right. Although the Judicial Advisor did not tell her anything more than what she already knew, he had tactfully stressed the importance to keep the child under protection. The way he said it sounded like the killer might go after her as well, maybe because of what Alina was involved in, maybe the name Fantasia was targeted for some reason, or maybe there was something else. Fate did not know.

But she kept her words. She left the girl with Nanoha and Vivio in the Takamachi residence, and, of course, informed Nanoha of the situation. Her dear friend had agreed to guard the child for her without hesitation, and she was grateful for that.

Salvia still had no idea what was going on, but none of them wanted to tell her just yet. The girl had gone through enough; there really is no need to put her through more.

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Hayate listened most of the time while Fate analyzed the situation, occasionally contributing to the conversation by sharing her knowledge or adding her opinions. Though it was not unusual, it still caught Fate's attention. Her friend seemed to have something in her mind that she was not saying.

Normally she would not press for the other girl to talk. Fate was timid like that, and probably also because she knew from her job that there were many things that people just couldn't share with one another.

But the clearly troubled and distant look on her friend's face was more than enough reason for her to ask.

"Hayate, what is it?"

Hayate was caught off-guard by the sudden question. But when the words and her friend's serious expression sunk in, she smiled widely at the blond with a hint of gratification.

"Should I say indeed an enforcer you are, sharp with others' emotions as always?"

The half-teasing, half-sincere compliment had earned herself a slightly embarrassed enforcer who was trying hard to use a frown to hide the blush. Hayate giggled at the sight, and finished the rest of the sentence in her mind. _But you are really dense when it comes to your own love life, so is Nanoha-chan_.

"Hayate-"

The blond protested, but she soon trailed off, deciding to not get into the subject.

Hayate grinned at her triumph before her face dropped a little. The thoughts came back to her and she was trying to find the right words to describe them. It was another long pause before she finally spoke again.

"Fate-chan, I want to ask you something."

Fate nodded, encouraging silently for her to continue.

"Let's say… you found something that will lead you to this murder case, and you realized that there is a chance for you to discover what's going on all at once, but the price is for you to join the group of killer – undercover or not – and you know it is probably the only chance you have, and probably the only one the Bureau will have, too. What will you do, and why?"

It was Fate's turn to stay silent. She stared at Hayate for several moments, concerns written all over her face, but she said nothing about it. Then she seemed to think about her question, and her eyes darkened as unspoken thoughts running through her minds.

"As an enforcer, I will have to stay straight on my course. So I will not put myself under cover in that group, and I will use whatever resources I have, starting with whatever lead me to the group in the first place, and continue my investigation."

Her voice was soft and gentle, also firm and determined.

"But?"

Yet Hayate knew there was something else the blond was going to say.

"But,"

The blond smiled at her quick reaction, but it was soon replaced by some other emotion that Hayate had rarely seen in the burgundy eyes.

"…sometimes I wonder, if I was able to control my emotion well enough that Scaglietti's taunts would not affect my decisions, perhaps I could have prevented to join his gang and stopped the tragedy before it had a chance to begin. That way, maybe some people would not have died, maybe I could have relieved Ginga from her cyborg state, maybe Vita would not be injured so badly, and maybe… I could have saved Vivio from the Cradle before she was put to suffer."

But even though Fate had said it in a calm voice, even though she looked like she had given enough thoughts into it, and even though she looked like she was simply stating a possibility of what could have happened, Hayate noticed how hard her friend was grasping her cup of coffee. And because she knew how Fate was like, she knew that the sudden and strong swirl of emotions was just part of Fate.

And so she knew no matter what Fate thought the incident could have been altered, it could not have.

Fate sighed lightly before she continued. From the look on her face, Hayate wondered whether she had come to the same conclusion she had.

"What Scaglietti did was unforgivable, and so I probably will never forgive the High Council and Lieutenant-General Gaiz for conspiring with him. On the other hand, however, there was really not a right or wrong side on how to protect the ground of Mid-Childa. Lieutenant-General Gaiz did what he could, and so did we. The differences only exist on how we go about it… so if in another time, another two parties have the same goal but different method, it doesn't matter which side I'm on so long as they don't contradict my belief, and I will fight to protect the innocents, for all things I treasure, and for the two sides to understand each other without further destruction."

_And this is just my opinion…_?

At the end of her speech, Fate had trailed off from the righteousness she developed as an enforcer to her characteristic shyness with a smile toward her friend.

Hayate felt a sudden wave of emotions washing over her. It warmed her heart and it soothed her concerns.

There are many things Hayate loved about her family members and her friends. She loved them for their distinctive personalities and their different ways of making her feel the emotions forming a complete life. And with Fate, this is one of the things she loved so dearly about her childhood friend, though sometimes it hurt them to see her still so timid and afraid, like a deer, as a result of the abuse from Precia.

So Hayate put on her usual smile that she knew would take her friend's mind off from the haunted memory, and teased her.

"That's quite unlike the enforcer I know. Hmm, I wonder if it is because Fate-chan had grown up a little more? You do look 2 cm bigger-"

"Ha-Hayate!"

And so Hayate just laughed as her friend's face turned red like a tomato and put her hands across her female pride defensively, blocking the invasive look from the brunette.

It's quite unlike the enforcer she knows. But it is quite typical Fate-chan.

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(To be continued…)

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A/N:

Between multivariable calculus and a new chapter of Hayate harassing Fate, I choose the later.

Thanks for the review!


	12. Chapter 11 Bon Voyage

Disclaimer: This story has absolutely nothing to do with the actual MGLN series after StrikeS. I own nothing but my own poor imagination.

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**Chapter 11 Bon Voyage**

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"Are you sure about this?"

The Chief of Staff of the Time Space Administration Bureau looked down from the tall seat to the young man standing in front of her. The young man had his hands behind his back, and his chin high. Normally the gestures would resemble arrogance, but knowing the young man, she knew he was just presenting the confidence that comes with his experience and ability.

And they needed someone who has those experience and ability.

"Yes ma'am." The man replied. "As for right now, no others who are capable for this mission could answer your call, and I understand the urgency for it to be accomplished, thus, I insist on going."

The elder woman sighed. He was right. Even as the so-called legends in the Bureau, they are losing the respects from the younger generations, as the young ones could not relate to things they did – the events in the past were merely stories to them. They no longer have the influence they once had. Not that they normally cared, but this time…

If they were just a few years younger, they would have gone themselves. However, time had done its course. While their knowledge from all these years are blessings when dealing with political issues, their bodies could no longer serve them well on the frontline.

She sighed.

"I wish I could provide you more than just rumors, but you are right, in a situation like this time is a luxury we could not spare. However, even it is us who ask you to pursue this journey, it is inevitable for us to hesitate before you take your first step. The ruins of the old worlds are dangerous places, for it has been a very long time since anyone step in there and come back to tell their tales alive. None of us know what they have become. Should you still wish to set sail, know that the documentaries and our expertise will perhaps be useless.

You might find yourself moving through the ruins like a blind man, with no ways of contacting the outside worlds… Consider it carefully before you answer, Admiral Harlawon. Are you really willing to accept this mission, even if the path before you presents nothing but danger and uncertainty?"

Chrono Harlawon did what he was instructed. He paused for a long minute and closed his eyes, thinking about the danger lying ahead of his crew and the worst case scenario his imagination allowed.

Death. The worst scenario he could think of is the death of everyone on board of Claudia, without providing any information back to the Bureau about whether their concerns were true or not. It would be like sacrificing the lives of those people, _his people_, in vain…

But at the same time it would not.

While it is likely they will come to face life-or-death dangers in the mission, there _is_ a possibility for them to discover whether the rumors of the ruins were true or not. Sitting around in the Bureau and eventually the rumors will prove itself, but if what they fear was true, if some unknown power was creeping in the ruins and attempting to wake the forbidden and long-lost technology, it would be too late to react then.

He opened his eyes again, and looked straight into the elder woman's eyes.

"Yes, ma'am. I accept the mission."

_Even if there is only death awaits_. He did not voice it out loud, but his eyes had shown it all.

He is a soldier, after all. Their lives are dedicated to the safety of their loved ones, the security of their homeland, various beliefs they hold, and the greater good. Since the day they sworn their loyalty they have known that they could not back down in the face of dangers. Because if they flee, the ones taking the hit will be those behind them – the ones want to protect.

For that, he is not afraid of being killed in action. But he is afraid of acting too slow.

And the Chief of Staff can understand that.

She said no more at the matter, only nodded her head at the young man.

When Chrono took it as a cue to leave however, the elder woman stood up from her seat and saluted to him.

"Bon Voyage, Admiral Harlawon."

She said.

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'Bon Voyage'.

Chrono was not quite sure how many times he had heard this phrase in his life. The first time he came across this phrase was when he was still a little boy, when his mother could still hold him in her arms and he still allowed her to.

At that time she waved at his departing father with a smile at the door, and the man kissed both of them goodbyes. Perhaps it was then he asked his mother what the words mean with difficulties as he was just learning to speak and the phrase was not easy to pronounce.

She replied with a warm smile and set him down by the table.

'It means, have a good trip.'

He laughed then, because she tickled him and because he had liked the words. The young boy was excited to learn the words, and he hoped that his father would come back soon so he could tell him about it.

But he never got the chance.

The tombstone that carved the name Clyde Harlawon was empty beneath. Chrono knew it because he overheard some people talking about how strong the weapon was, and how there was nothing remained from the attack. And so the young Chrono did not cry that day in the funeral.

His father was not here. He refused to cry in front of an empty grave. For others, it seemed as if he had stayed strong because he was the only man left in the Harlawon family, but Chrono knew better, and he knew Lindy understood.

Instead of walking up to the grave that was supposed to belong to his father, Chrono looked up to the sky, to the faraway universe that his father's existence evaporated into nothingness.

"Bon Voyage, father."

He said then, still having some difficulty to pronounce the phrase, but it was good enough.

And it was when a shooting star shot through the clear night sky as if in response to his words that Chrono blinked several times, and started crying.

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Yuuno Scrya was shocked.

"You what?"

"Hm…? I said I need to bring Arf along for this mission. I'm sorry, Yuuno. I know you are busy here in the Infinite Library and really need an extra hand-"

Yuuno waved a hand, showing that he did not mind to manage the seemingly endless books stored in the institution by himself. It was his job anyway, and he liked it too. No, what he was shocked about was something else.

"No, no. That's not what I meant. I'm fine by myself, and Arf is your familiar so of course she should help you whenever you need. But… what did you say about your mission?"

The blonde looked back him confused, and Yuuno thought maybe he actually heard her wrong.

Now that he recovered from the shock and thought about it, maybe that's it. After all, Fate is living with Nanoha now; they are literarily raising Vivio together. Of course she would not…

"The mission? Chrono is going on a mission to the ruins of the old worlds, and I'm going with him."

…of course she would.

Yuuno was speechless.

For a long while, he could only stare at Fate, who looked extremely confused as if Yuuno was overreacting and she did not know why. Thousands of thoughts raced through his head, and he was not sure what surprised him more. No, wait, maybe he should rephrase that – he was not sure what to think, at all.

Yuuno rubbed his temple, which was a rare thing for him to do. The action only occurs when he is trying his damn best to think and analyze a puzzle that makes no sense, or when he is in total lost and needs to regroup his thoughts. Well, in this case he supposed he is doing it for both reasons.

"Okay wait, let me get this straight. So you are going to the ruins of the old worlds, the ones destroyed in the ancient wars. You know, the ones that nobody has been to for maybe hundreds of years. The ones that might explode as their life time reach termination?"

"Yes…?"

The reply was innocent, and Yuuno could still hear the confusion in the voice. It made his head hurt even more. He frowned, but not entirely from the ache.

"And Chrono _approved_ that?"

Fate nodded, and started to describe how she had spent three weeks in total to convince her brother to let her go along.

Apparently Chrono had stubbornly refused for a very long while, but had eventually given up to his even more stubborn sister.

"Nii-san wasn't happy at first, but I talked him into reasoning. The mission is going to be very dangerous, so he will need all the helps he can get. Since I have years of experience of working with him, and I'm not really handling any case right now, and because I'm worried about the rumors as well, I insisted on going along."

Fate said, with extreme seriousness.

_Reasoning_? Yuuno almost choked on her words. He was this close to roll his eyes at his friend, but he resisted the urge, and remained as calm as he could.

Yes, he can understand why Fate wanted to help. Now that he calmed down enough and put himself in her shoes, he supposed he can even understand why Fate felt it was… reasonable, to go on a trip that only God knows if they will come back in one piece.

It's Fate's personality to help others, even in the face of extreme danger. The group of friends had since long learned about it and accepted it as part of her. The thing that bothered him the most however, was the blonde's apparent lack of realization that she might never come back, and that it would be a _big deal_ to the others.

He rubbed his temple again, feeling a little dizzy.

"What about Nanoha?"

"Nanoha…?"

It was then Fate showed a little bit of unease and hesitation. Yuuno, of course, observed it and knew the answer, but he did not want to push it too hard. He sighed, and his voice softened.

"Have you talked to Nanoha about this yet?"

The silence was just a confirmation of what he already knew.

Yuuno shook his head again. The relationship between Nanoha and Fate had always been subtle. It was a bond that cannot be easily described by words and one that was still growing as time pass by. Perhaps even Nanoha and Fate themselves could not quite place the feeling just yet.

That's why Yuuno found it hard to support proper advice when it comes to this, despite growing up with both, and even being Nanoha's mentor.

As bystanders, all they could do is giving hints and joking around the matter to see if something actually comes out of it. But none of them wants to push for a clear explanation or 'point out the obvious'. They would be damned if the subtle balance collapses and brings awkwardness to the friendship between the two.

Plus, he held strong admiration to the other girl as well. Some of the things were just too awkward to say plainly.

"Give me a call after you talk to her, Fate."

He cast a meaningful glance, and quietly left the blonde to figure out the rest.

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A week later, Fate was standing at the dock where Claudia was parked.

The platform was filled with people, friends and family members who came to see their beloved ones off to a journey in which the end could not be foresee.

There were tensions in the air, even though most people there were smiling and laughing as they made conversations.

Fate watched in silence, but her thoughts started to wonder.

It was not the first time she goes on a potentially fatal journey, far from it, but it seemed like she never got used to it.

And maybe that's a good thing.

To be numb at facing death would mean to have lost the urge to live. Fate had learnt, by experiences, that when it comes down to a close call, it would be that urge of survival – that urge to see the sun rising above horizon again, to finish all the unfinished business she had, to _go home_ – that matters.

As the thought of home made her mind wander even further, she heard two sets of footsteps approaching from behind.

She turned around to greet her assistants.

"Fate-san, I'm ready."

Shario had a luggage by her side, whereas Teanna came empty-handed. The usually bubbly technician was quiet, and Fate eyed her carefully before speaking.

"Shari, are you sure you don't want to stay?"

The brunette paused, but did not hesitate.

"Nope. I am your assistant, remember? It's my job to help you, especially in the most dangerous situation."

Fate was actually expecting a forced smile from the younger girl. After all, it was unlike any other mission they had got through. It was reasonable to be afraid.

So when Shario reminded her enthusiastically with a sincere smile, she was a bit surprised.

She smiled back, and turned to the other girl.

Teanna looked rather uneasy, from the way she shifted nervously on the spot and the hesitation on her face Fate could tell. The orange-haired girl opened her mouth as she noticed her supervisor had turned to her.

"Fate-san, I think maybe I should go with you-"

"Teanna,"

Fate raised a hand to stop her in mid-sentence, and shook her head.

"The Enforcer Test is only weeks away, and we both know how much effort you put in preparing that. I appreciate your concern, but still I insist you to stay. If you wish, take it as my last command for as your supervisor – stay here and prepare yourself. I want to see you as a certified enforcer when I return."

Teanna opened and closed her mouth several times as if to protest, but no words came out. At the end, she only nodded and saluted to her mentor.

'Command received... thank you, Fate-san, and I wish you the best of luck."

Fate nodded in acknowledgement, and saluted back.

Luck. She thought about the word. Despite herself, Fate still felt amused every time she heard it.

It is a strange thing. Most of them have no religious basis, yet at times they would pray and speak of faith, ritual, and luck. Maybe when one set foot on a journey like this, where science and technology are unable to guide them as lighthouse in the darkness of their path, it is nature to hold on to even the dimmest candle light of faith.

"Come on, Teanna, help me take my stuff to my room?"

Perhaps Shario had sensed her supervisor wondering off into thoughts again, she nudged her colleague lightly, and picked up her loads.

"See you on the ship, Fate-san."

Fate nodded and looked on as the two of them walked toward the warship.

Even though Shario's talent in communication system and Teanna's skills as a warrior and second-in-command would probably prove to be assets in the unknown regions they are heading to, but still, they were too young (in Fate's opinion) to be on such journey.

She was glad that at least Teanna listened.

Now she turned her gaze back at the crowds again. In half an hour they would all need to be ready in their respective positions for the warship to set sail. Half an hour is not a long time, but right now it seemed to pass by too slowly, and the journey almost felt too long before it had even begun.

She sighed and looked down at her watch. _What is Arf doing? She was supposed to be here an hour ago_…

Just when she was considering whether to send a message to her familiar, the voice of the said wolf-girl suddenly appeared from her left side.

"Fate~"

Fate turned, just about to ask Arf where she had been, when she saw the people behind her familiar. And she froze instantly.

"Fate-mama!"

"Fate-san!"

Four children ran toward her, three of them wearing the brown uniform of the Ground, and the other one girl running in the front in a cute little white dress. It was the dress Fate gave her as a present when she came home from one of the mission.

The lightening mage was so caught by surprise, she forgot to react until the children had all ran to her and hugged her tightly.

"Vivio, Salvia, Caro, Erio…"

She had only talked to them yesterday and said goodbyes then, and she told them to not to come, as she thought it would be easier for both sides, but…

"It would be harder for us to sit at the base and just stare at the clock, wondering when you have boarded, Fate-chan."

The blonde looked up from the children, dumb-founded.

Hayate was now standing in front of her as well, following after the children. Her friend was smiling and teasing her as usual, but there was worry and sadness in her eyes that made Fate's heart tightened.

She tried to say something, but was at loss of words.

"Hayate…"

So she simply called her friend's name.

And the sadness was replaced by the usual light of joy in those azure blue orbs.

"I'm their boss, and I permitted – no, ordered – them to come see you off. Do you really think something as little as paperwork will stop us from coming?"

The shorter woman pointed at her brown uniform, the ribbons that symbolize the command positions shining above her left front pocket, all reminding Fate of what her friend had decided to do to protect the justice of the ground of Mid-Childa and the people that were summoned.

It was yet another reason why she had to go with Claudia. She wanted to do something for her friend, even though she would probably scowl at her if she knew about it.

If Claudia could bring back news about the old world, they could plan what to do next. The world would not be clouded in suspicion and chaos anymore. And their friend would not need to carry those weights on her shoulders.

And it was also because of the person standing next to Hayate, her other best friend.

The young combat instructor was wearing her blue and white uniform. She had not yet spoken, but the look on her face told just as much.

She was supposed to be still in a training camp, but she had come, she had come_ for her_. Emotions that Fate did not even know were there almost overwhelmed the blonde as they rushed through at once, and she almost cried and she did not know exactly why.

Hayate motioned her silently to comfort the children first, so Fate nodded and bent down to wipe away tears that were welling in their eyes, and spoke with them softly about nothing and everything.

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The clock seemed to suddenly be moving too quickly.

In what felt like merely a minute since the arrival of the group, the announcement sounded to inform all personals to report to their stations immediately.

There were no longer casual conversations on the dock then. People started holding on to their friends and family, wishing good lucks and safe returns, whispering loves and cares, some even pleading for their dear one not to leave.

To some extent, they were all afraid, even the bravest of the crew, but none of they would be willing to turn back now.

The four children were crying then, and their fingers clenched tightly at Fate's black enforcer uniform, but they knew their guardian too well to say 'don't go'. As the pink-haired swordswoman would put, saying that would mean to distrust Fate's ability and dishonor her beliefs and actions. And the last thing any of them wanted would be to sadden the blonde before she leaves.

Fate rubbed each child's head as gently and comforting as she could, and they took a step back, allowing her to finally speak with Hayate and Nanoha.

There was only a few seconds of silence before the shortest of the three sighed again, and wrapped a hand around the blonde.

"You be careful on the trip, okay? And come back ASAP, before we start to miss you too badly."

Despite the effort to joke, Hayate's voice cracked a little. But she still managed to keep the tears from falling. As much as she might act childishly around her friends in their private time, Hayate is always the most mature one in times like this.

Fate wanted to tell her so badly that it is okay to rely on them, that she is never alone to face the difficulties in life, and that they will always be there for her, all of them.

But she knew Hayate knew, and the brunette already broke away from her.

And Fate stood face to face with Nanoha.

Neither of them said anything. They simply looked at each other in the eyes, and for a brief moment, the world surrounding them just disappeared.

Slate blue and burgundy red locked, and all that were reflected was the other person.

At that moment, all was understood.

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They were not sure how long they had been lost in their own world. Perhaps not that long, but the announcement sounded again, calling the remaining personals to get ready. The noise pulled the two back to reality.

It was time for Fate to go.

Nanoha took a step forward, and threw herself into Fate's arms.

She believed in the crew's ability to pilot through the journey. She believed in Chrono's experience to lead the warship through any dangers. And she believed in Fate's ability to break through anything to return.

And so even though she was afraid, even though she wanted her to stay, she would not say so.

She felt Fate's arms tightened around her, and she smiled into her friend's shoulder. Fate could always manage to comfort her even though sometimes she did not know she did.

Nanoha breathed in deeply.

There would be days she feels sad and lonely because she is not there, and there would be days when it hurts to even miss her. But she would overcome those times, because she has a duty. She will keep the house a warm place, waiting for her to come back. And that is all that matters.

She whispered into Fate's ears, softly.

"Bon Voyage, Fate-chan."

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(To be continued…)

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A/N:

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and I hope you find it enjoyable as well.

The Chapter had no theme in the beginning, in fact, for all other chapters (except Chapter 9) I had to struggle to come up with a title – just a weird habit of mine. But this chapter the title came so naturally! And the plot was clear in my head that my thoughts didn't just go berserk (usually it does).

Well, that being said, this chapter is longer than the other ones… I tried to keep it short, but then the chapter seemed incomplete. Well, it still is quite incomplete, but what they say? Let your imagination works the magic of what happened in between :p

The ending is a little weak, but I couldn't quite find the right words to describe this scene. Too long, it lost the simplicity. Too short, it lost the completeness. Hopefully it was okay.

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and hopefully you found this chapter enjoyable as I did!

Until the next time :)


	13. Chapter 12 The Choice between Good and

Disclaimer: This story has absolutely nothing to do with the actual MGLN series after StrikeS. I own nothing but my own poor imagination.

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**Chapter 12 The Choice between Good and Good **

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The Special Defense Unit had been the most well-known and well-respected unit of the land branch in the Time-Space Administration Bureau.

The establishment of the unit could be traced back to as close as the beginning of the Bureau itself. Ever since that time, the name of the unit had been synonyms to elites and excellence. To be chosen as a member, one must be either an S-rank combat mage, possess special ability, or be the best in certain fields.

For most people, being transferred into this unit would be a great honor. To some, it was a dream too good to be true.

You know how people say you can do anything if you put your mind to it? Genius is made of ninety-nine percent of hard works and one percent of talent. It is true in most cases, because practice makes perfect. But to be in such a unit, the one percent of talent is a requirement.

Well, at least that is until recent years.

When Lieutenant-General Regius Gaiz came into power, one of the things he did was to purposefully send the unit to handle just about any problem there was on the Ground of Mid-Childa.

The intention was good. The elites would of course handle any cases they were assigned to with profession and perfection. The problem, however, arose when the cases they were asked to handle became miscellaneous. The unit turned into the 'janitor unit' – whatever others didn't want to do, just ask them to deal with it.

With no specific purpose, there was of course no extraordinary performance. The budget was cut, and the size had shrunk. People who wanted to climb high in the Bureau started to avoid the unit like a plague.

Like a hero gone weak and old, the history of the unit had begun to fade in people's memory…

…and that was when it was brought back on to the stage again.

When Lieutenant-General Tory Vindexta came into power, things had taken another rapid turn. He used the units as bases and assembled all the land combat mages he could get his hands on into these units.

Nobody really understood his intention. Not the political critics, not the mages he put so much efforts into assembling, not even his secretaries who knew almost every little schemes he planned.

But Yagami Hayate had guessed it, and she decided to make use of it.

Taking advantage of the assembled mages and their incompetence to the situation was perhaps not the noblest thing to do, but given the circumstances, it was the best she could come up with.

Several years later, as scholars and historians look back at the event, they might say: it was a choice between good and good.

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"Shamal, what's the status?"

Hayate asked the blonde standing next to her in the light green Kinght Armor, half-heartedly.

To be honest, she did not particularly care about any details right now, and she blamed it on the weather.

It was the end of October already – almost six months after Claudia departed and five months after the warship sailed deep enough into the old world that the magic fields disrupted the communication system. Up to that point, things seemed to be going rather smoothly. The initial report suggested the instability of the old world and predicted its self-destruction to be within the next five years, but so far there was no evidence proving the rumors.

What's even better, after the mages on board cast a sealing spell to suppress the volcano-like activities (such as eruption of magic energy and release of some unknown rays) on the fringe of the dying world, the strange readings the garrisons close by observed before had returned to normal level, and had remained that way since.

Even though they were still in a communication blackout, there was no sign of predicaments. And as much as the old world was a dangerous place to visit, the people who ventured the voyage were professionals. It was reasonable to believe that the crew was still cruising through the ancient place, with as much caution as ease.

Hayate hoped that was the case.

As much as she still worried about her childhood friend, she could not spare the time to think about it or investigate it. She was standing on thin ice herself.

As the director of the Special Defense Unit, and the frontline commander of its first division, she would need all the concentration she could muster. Aside from their current duties to protect citizens, there would be political aspects she needs to overcome to make every member trust her and obey her, without having to force them.

She needed to gain complete control over the unit, and she needed to do it fast. If it comes down to the worst case scenario, she would need at least her own people's trusts and supports to wage a political battle against Lieutenant-General Vindexta.

It was similar to the time she established the Riot Force Six, but at the same time it was nothing like it. Her two best friends were not here for her to rely on. She needed to be even more cautious with every move, because this time, even the slightest misstep could lead to tragedy that could not be compensated.

But that comes afterward. Right now she needs to focus.

"Target's current location is five kilometers south-east of here, six-hundred east from Signum. Whatever their original plan was, it looks like we ruined it and they are cornered now."

Hayate nodded with satisfaction. That would be easy to catch up. Maybe this case would turn out well just like the last one.

"Signum, did you hear that?"

She turned to speak with the leader of the Cloud Knight, who was listening to them the whole time on the other side of the communication screen. The knight nodded in reply, and altered her course.

"Yes, my Lord."

She said that simply, and Hayate knew the Knight of Flame understood what she meant without her saying it. She smiled, and raised her staff a little higher.

"Okay. We are on our way. The Fifth Division should be there soon as well."

The black wings behind her back extended outward as wind gathered around her feet. She took a step forth, and felt her body being lifted higher and higher into the air. Zafira and Shamal followed closely after her, and Hayate suddenly found a positive emotion rushing through her head that she herself could not explain.

Was it because it had been too long since she last flied with her knights?

Maybe.

Even in the final battle of the JS Incident when their limiters were all taken off at once, she did not exactly fight alongside with them. She was the command after all, and she needed to stay at her position to overlook the lines of defense and offense.

For the longest time, she thought that maybe just flying under the same sky was enough. She should have been happy enough just standing at the background and watching over them. It was a path she had chosen, her way of protecting and realizing their dreams. A lonely one, yet still she walked with determinations.

But now that Hayate was flying with them, she could not deny that she had missed this feeling all along.

"Hayate-chan?"

Shamal was next to her. She seemed slightly confused by the expression on the young brunette's face, but she was smiling as well. She could feel the joy in her heart – the Knights could, literarily, feel what their Lord feels. It was not simply because their bound with the Tome of the Night Sky, a huge part of this connection was because they were _family_.

And it had been a long time since the Lake Knight felt such pure joy from her lord. Ever since the day Reinforce vanished into the sky, Hayate had been carrying on her shoulder the weight that would collapse even the bravest warrior. But the girl had stood and walked, and even flied with that weight, and she had grown so fast – matured so fast – that the Lake Knight's heart ached.

"The wind feels good."

The young Lord of the Night Sky just smiled sheepishly back to the blonde, her cheeks a little flushed.

Zafira, Shamal, and Signum all transferred to the first division of the Special Defense Unit, as soon as she explained to them her plan. Like the oath they once swore to her, they followed her without second thought.

And although Vita had yet joined them in the division, Hayate more than anyone else knew that the tiny Hammer Knight's heart had always been with them, even at this moment, and she would break through anything to come to her if she calls for her.

"My Lord,"

Signum spoke again at her end. Her expression was softer though she wasn't smiling like Hayate and Shamal were.

She had landed before a twenty-floor building, and she was not alone. Few steps behind her, there stood a boy and two girls.

"As you expected, the Fifth Division has arrived. Erio, Caro, and the child of Fantasia are at the scene with me now."

Hayate nodded.

"Wait for us, unless they make a move."

Vindexta had recruited many mages with special backgrounds or rare abilities to the Special Defense Unit, and had arranged them into seven divisions in total, but he himself seemed uninterested in their operations.

It was not until Hayate took over the command that the unit actually got organized.

When she first saw the files of the personnel seven months ago, she was a bit surprised. She supposed it was only reasonable to see the artificial mage boy and the dragon summoner to be in the unit, but she was not exactly expecting that person's daughter to be serving in the same division.

Well, after what happened to Alina Fantasia, maybe this was the best option for the child.

Anyhow, she proved to have quite a potential as field mage. Though the magic quantity of the girl was low, it was made up by her training at the academy and some personal lessons by Fate and Nanoha when she lived with them.

The two said the lessons were just for self-defense purposes, but Hayate knew better. It was definitely not that simple – perhaps more like a survival camp. But thanks to that, the girl grew strong, and she learned a wide variety of spells.

It made her a valuable member in units that deal with unexpected situations a lot.

Probably nobody had thought a type average would turn out to be like this. The ability to improvise had made her a suitable candidate as second in command, a soldier who could stay in the frontline, and one that could fill into any position.

Especially since the series of mysterious events that all started approximately two months ago.

Around August, the Ground Office was brought to attention of the missing persons cases. Sometimes, those people would appear again after several days, with no recollection of what happened during the time they were gone. Sometimes, though, those people would never be heard again.

As the type of incident grew more and more frequent, the Special Defense Unit found themselves, for the first time in years, have something specific to accomplish.

With the members excited about their new goal, and the excellent investigation ability of their boss – Hayate – the units had made several major developments toward solving the case. In fact, today they had come so close to busting the abduction on the scene.

According to the teacher of the children who were taken hostage, there were two suspects, and they apparently had some degree of magic ability, though strong enough that the teacher could not compete, but could be easily handled by the Special Defense Units.

They were elites, after all.

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Inside the room of an empty apartment, a man was pacing around and waving his hands frantically.

Another man was sitting on the couch. Unlike his partner, he looked calm. In fact, that man was analyzing the situation.

True enough they had failed to keep the Ground Office unalarmed of their presence, but it did not mean they had failed the mission altogether. If they made their next move right, they still had the chance of escaping with their hostages.

He was trained to act logically all the time – and especially if the odd was against his side – so he had not given up hope. But his partner's voice made it hard to concentrate.

"We can't shake those damn hounds off!"

The pacing man stated with desperation. He looked afraid, lost, and angry all at once.

"Be quiet."

The man sitting on the couch hissed harshly at his partner, his eyes sparkling impatience.

"Let the Leader talk."

The pacing man fell silent, and stopped pacing to look at the communication screen his partner had called forth moments ago.

"Let me see the children first."

The one who spoke was no other than the Shadow. It was standing in front of some sort of laboratory, the sound of bubbling chemicals and operating noise of machines echoing in the background.

The man sitting on the couch gestured to let the screen turn toward the three children lying unconscious on the wooden floor next to him.

The Shadow paused to inspect the children one by one.

Then, the screen moved slowly back toward the man sitting on the couch, and the Shadow shook its head.

"You had false information. Those children are not what we want. I suggest you two to start planning a way out of this mess."

Now the standing man looked very frustrated. He looked like he was about to punch something, but stopped himself.

The man on the couch, on the other hand, thought for a second, and spoke again.

"The boys I do not know, but the girl is a match. This I can guarantee you."

"Oh? How so?"

"I looked at her file. Also, I witnessed her magic ability – it was lightening."

The Shadow paused and thought about it.

"Well then…"

Its voice was soft, but there was no emotion behind.

"Take her to us."

The man nodded in response.

"And if you need some chaos… take advantage of the mess at the downtown bank."

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* * *

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Few blocks away from the empty apartment, Subaru Nakajima was watching the downtown bank next to Teanna Lanster, with the local police department.

There was a bank robbery. Some bandits broke into the bank and took all the people there hostages; they threatened to detonate a bomb if the police could not deliver on their requests.

The police was not sure whether the threat was legit, or whether it was just blabber. Thus, the Bureau was called as a precaution for the worst case scenario. Teanna, recently certified as an enforcer, had arrived on the scene, and so had Subara, the captain of the team responding to this emergency.

While the chief of the police department was trying to negotiate with the robbers inside, the others stood by in their posts. The police was planning their way into the building, and the bandits were trying to figure a way out.

For several hours, neither side had made a move. And it would have stayed like that for another two hours or so before either side figures actually makes a move.

It would, if not for the sudden explosion coming from the side of the building.

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"Somebody get me the status inside! …what do you mean the attack unit is not ready?! No! Do not move yet unless you know what you are doing! Subaru, get a hold of your team!"

The moment the explosion took place so unexpectedly, the still unorganized units went into panic. Teanna was trying to gain control over the situation, but it was difficult.

She was about to regroup everyone, when all of a sudden her intelligent device reported an incoming call.

And a familiar face appeared before her.

"Lieutenant-Colonel Yagami!"

"Long time no see, Teanna… no, Enforcer Lanster."

The young woman was grinning like Teanna always remembered, except she was not wearing the ordinary brown uniform. It was the white barrier jacket she only saw a few times before.

"We are investigating an abduction case. Some eye witnesses said they saw two men taking three kids heading this way. See anything?"

"Uh… not exactly."

She scratched her cheek and pointed to the smoke rising from the side of the building.

"But there was an explosion… we are not sure whether it was our suspect."

The young woman just smiled and cut the communication.

Her voice appeared again, but this time closer. From behind the newly certified enforcer.

"That would be our suspect."

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Few moments later, Hayate was walking with Teanna toward the gathered mages from the Special Defense Unit. They had exchanged information and planned their attack route. The local authority would step down from this for now, and the Rescue Corp would stand by in case of emergency.

The Special Defense Unit would handle the rest.

"Shamal, targets' positions checked?"

"_Hai_. The robbers are on the north side of the room with the bank staff and customers. Our suspects are on the south side. They are quite some distant apart."

"Okay then, people. It looks like our suspects want to play the cat and mouse game. They will move as soon as we move, and whether the children can go home tonight or the people in the bank can walk out unharmed depends on how well we deal with this."

She gestured at the building.

"Erio, I want you and Signum to go in as forward team. Follow Shamal's instruction and disarm the robbers and the bomb first. If our suspects decide to make a run, Signum stop them. Zafira will follow you two and secure the hostages. Caro stay with Shamal to cast the support spells. Teanna, Salvia and I will be watching outside. All clear? Now let's move!"

And with that, lights of various colors shot toward different directions.

There were shoutings inside the bank building, and Hayate saw one of the bandits fumbling to find the remote to detonate the bomb.

But he was not fast enough.

Before he could even touch the remote, a flash of flame burned through the bomb, and the remote became history.

At the same time, Erio was moving through the room in the speed Fate would be proud, and knocked out the robbers one by one.

Zafira's roar could be heard even in the faraway distance, and blue magic light of the guardian beast shone brightly.

And then…

Hayate squinted to see their suspects moving. One of them was backing away from the battlefield with a little girl on his shoulders, the other was shooting blasts of magic to knock back Signum. They seemed to decide to abandon the boys.

_But why_?

Caro murmured some supportive spell, and there was a pink light glowing around Erio. The boy charged forward, knocking over the retreating man. The man lost balance and dropped the unconscious little girl.

Teanna was just about to rush forward to get the falling little girl, but Hayate put a hand in front of her. Instead, she patted the raven-haired girl on the other side, and motioned for her to move.

"Go."

Salvia nodded, and dashed forward immediately.

Grey circles of magic surrounded the falling girl, slowing her down. The raven-haired jumped to mid-air, and stayed afloat for only a few moment, before gently landing on the ground.

_She was trained well_. Hayate smiled at her observation. _Fate would be proud_.

Now, with their only hostage gone, the two men looked at each other gloomily, as they knew there was nowhere to run.

Hayate was just about to place them under arrest when all of sudden, a dark purple aura circled the two men.

What…?

She looked on with wide-eyes as the two men were engulfed by the unknown source of magic. The men were surprised as well, and most of all they seemed afraid.

The circle squeezed tight on them.

They looked like they were screaming, but not even Signum and Erio, who were closest to them at the time, heard a thing.

Erio surged forward after a moment of shock, attempting to save those men.

But he was not fast enough. The circle had shrunk rapidly, and before Erio touched it, it disappeared into nothingness.

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* * *

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The Shadow put down the hand that was controlling the magic, and disabled the magic that showed the awe-struck people surrounding the downtown bank.

The ball of magic had meant to transport those men back to this place, not to kill them.

But if those Bureau officers had touched that magic and were transported back to here along with those two men, things would get complicated. The plan could not be revealed just yet; there were still too many uncertainties in the project.

And beyond all, even if the men came back alive, they would be deemed as worthless soldiers that could no longer stand on the battlefield, for they had proven their weakness.

The boy would probably never realize how fortune he was to not act fast enough.

Had he touched that cursed magic, the Shadow would have no choice but to teleport him back to this world as well, as he would be too valuable a material to destroy. At this stage, he would experience nothing but suffering pain and sorrow.

He would live in hell.

There were enough screams of pain and begging of an end in this place that the Shadow was hearing on a daily basis. And as much as it creates a nauseous feeling, the project could not be stopped.

The Shadow did not consider itself a heartless creature. It felt the need to minimize the amount of sacrifice even in the process of doing the Great. Or so it told itself.

For the Shadow, killing the men was not an act of brutality, but rather a necessary evil. Although it pained its heart – does it really have one? – to take away lives, it could not be avoided.

In some sense, it was a choice between good and good.

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(To be continued…)

* * *

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A/N:

This chapter was kind of written in a rush, and I'm re-thinking some of the plots afterward. Trying to watch some movies and anime to get the feelings back… so well. Anyway.

Until the next time :)


	14. Chapter 13 Primary Colors

Disclaimer: This story has absolutely nothing to do with the actual MGLN series after StrikeS. I own nothing but my own poor imagination.

A/N: This one I strongly suggest you to listen to '3 Primary Colors' from Digimon third season while reading. Though the lyrics and the content of this chapter was not exact match, it was the BGM I looped through while I was writing.

Enjoy :)

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* * *

**Chapter 13 Primary Colors**

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When they became live-long friends at the age of nine, they were still the purest.

It is not to say they had lost their innocence after all the years of working at the Bureau. They had been through many things and grown from their experiences. They had fallen, been hurt, and hurt others, but those never changed who they were deep inside.

They had come to realize their similarities and their differences. They were like the primary colors. Each one of them had distinct experiences that the others would never completely understand. Each of them with a mindset, a way to look and deal with things in life. And each with a separate path that leads them to a shared, but yet unique future.

They had been confused as to what they should do when they bumped into each other's life. They were afraid of what might happen if their colors blend together.

Would the other two understand? Would they accept who she really was? Fighting alongside to save the world was a great thing and it definitely bond them together, but could that friendship last through the peaceful times, and their own dark sides?

They had been very careful, because none of them wanted to lose friends so special in their life. They moved a little bit and a little bit closer every time, taking small steps to reach out and experiment what might come out.

Fortunately to them, as they grew, they had come to realize something marvelous.

When they support each other like they do, when their dreams overlap each other's like they do, it is a future of all kinds of possibilities.

They were like the primary colors. Together, they can become any other colors.

Together, they could do anything and everything.

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The enforcer who was commonly described as 'a flash of gold' was walking on the hallway of the Headquarter. Her footsteps were so light that perhaps only she herself could hear it.

She looked different.

Not in the way the physical appearance changes over time, and not in the way that a serious injury could done to a body. The hair still shone like wheat under the sun. Her actions were still graceful like she was born with patrician blood. Her figure still radiated a bit of authority, a bit of elegance, and a bit of gentleness.

The burgundy eyes, however, had changed.

Void of the usual determination and the clearness that made them look like properly brewed red wine, the eyes were scarlet red. It was the color similar to freshly spilled blood. And it was quite unfitting to the young woman.

She turned at the corner, and heard two voices arguing in a room not far ahead from her. One of which she recognized as a technician she worked with on several occasions. The other she knew from the bottom of her heart – she would recognize it even if she turns deaf – as one of her best friends.

The argument was not loud enough that she could clearly capture what was happening, yet from the frustration in the voices, she could tell it might escalate further if not properly handled.

She hesitated for a while, unsure whether she should step in to the dispute.

But the hesitation was short-lived.

She sighed. Decided against her better judgment, she walked toward the resting room and opened the door.

Because no matter what happened, Fate Testarossa Harlawon would do whatever was needed to protect her friends.

That's who she was, is, and will always be.

"Is something wrong here?"

She asked calmly, even though the sight of her best friend had stirred up turmoil of emotions inside.

How long had it been since she saw her best friend? Fate felt her heart tightened. It was just a little over six months.

But why did it feel like it had been years?

The man who was arguing with the short brunette suddenly shut up all at once, and Fate could tell, he was afraid.

_He should_. She thought to herself sarcastically.

"No! En-enforcer Harlawon. I was just trying to explain to this officer here that we cannot transport her back to Mid-Childa…"

The man trailed off.

Fate did not know whether it was because of her own expression, or was it because he had known all along that he had been tantalizing the other woman, just because she was in the brown uniform that symbolizes the Ground.

She didn't care.

A short nod was all she gave him.

"You can let her go now."

"But-"

Fate looked at him almost coldly. Her following words barely a whisper, but they sounded loud like thunder in the man's ears.

"If you are still concerned, I will escort Investigator Yagami myself."

The words were said with finality, that the man could do nothing but nod in agreement.

And so Fate stepped aside and gestured for the brunette to move first.

Of course, she ignored the funny look on the shorter woman's face.

"After you."

Yagami Hayate did not say a word as she walked out of the resting room. She did not even look back at the pale man who was literarily shaking at this very moment.

Fate, on the other hand, shot him a hard gaze, before she walked out of the door as well.

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"Fate-chan,"

And as soon as the door was closed behind them, Fate heard her friend speaking softly behind.

For a short moment she regretted ever stepping into the room. She just could not bring herself to look at her face now, even though she desperately wanted to do so. For months, it was the only thing that kept her going in the harsh environment in the old world.

She did not know what Hayate was going to say next, but she did not want to answer the questions she knew would come the moment she stepped into the room. She did not know if she could take it.

However, as always, Hayate surprised her.

She did not expect the words that came next.

"Welcome back."

Hayate just put a hand on her shoulder, and said that softly.

And Fate almost cried.

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* * *

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Few minutes later, Fate found herself walking between her two best friends.

Nanoha had come running, literarily, to them as soon as Hayate had connected to her through their intelligent devices, before Fate could stop her.

"Fate-chan?"

Nanoha called out to her, looking a little worried. She still had tears of joy in her blue eyes.

Fate loved those eyes with all her heart. They reminded her of the starry nights, and there was always a sparkle of light in there as they spoke of the purest and most precious emotions to her.

She had missed her friends. She had missed the days when things were not so complicated. She had missed every single moment of them being together.

And it was then Fate realized that maybe she was not too slow to stop Hayate from calling Nanoha, nor was she unable to stop herself from walking into that room and got Hayate out of the argument. She had wanted this all along. Her heart ached not because she could not look at her friends' faces, but because she could not stop herself from _doing_ it, and she was guilty for it.

She wanted to reach out to them.

She was vulnerable without them, after all.

"Nanoha, Hayate… there is something I want to tell you."

Before she realized what she was doing, she was already doing it. And it was too difficult to stop now.

Her friends stopped in front of her.

When did she stop? She didn't even know. It didn't matter. She gave up, and opened her mouth to speak.

She needed to –

"Ah, Fate-san, here you are."

Fate froze at the voice behind her.

"Shari-san!"

Her two friends did not seem to notice the sudden shiver of Fate.

They were surprised at the person standing behind her, so surprised that their attention was momentarily taken away from the blonde.

"So you guys are back? How come we didn't hear anything?"

Nanoha looked excited to see the younger woman. She should be, as it had been almost half a year since she last saw her.

"We just stopped by for some supply. Fate-san and I will be on our way again soon."

Shario smiled apologetically at the young combat instructor and the investigator, before Fate turned to look at her. A light flickered through her eyes.

"Fate-san, Admiral Chrono is waiting for you."

She said softly, and the three almost thought they had imagined that.

Fate exhaled deeply, trying to regain her usual self. She _needed_ to be her usual self. The calm enforcer that could overcome even in the most dangerous and desperate situation. The ace who would protect the innocents at all costs.

"I know."

She whispered.

"On your way…? But, but we are planning for our annual get-together."

It was Nanoha who broke the subtle tension between the enforcer and the assistant. The innocent disappointment hurt Fate in a way Nanoha would never know.

"Yeah, it would be cruel even for Chrono to leave at a time like this."

Hayate joined in, a slight hope in her voice that Fate did not miss.

"Why don't you two and Chrono all come to the party? It would be great, and we would be able to catch up on what happened all these months."

The two stopped there, waiting for an answer.

Fate had her back to them, and they could not quite tell what the blonde was thinking.

Had she been facing them, they would certainly not miss the darkness that suddenly took over the beautiful burgundy eyes.

It was a long moment before Fate quietly agreed.

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* * *

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But that night, Fate did not show up.

Nanoha had brought Vivio to the Yagami residence, and they had waited for a full hour for the Harlawon family.

But none of them came, and they could not reach them. The line was always busy.

It was then they realized something was definitely not right.

.

"I'm going to their house."

Nanoha was the first to stand up from the table and grabbed her jacket. She was worried sick about Fate, even more than when they lost contact with Claudia.

It was like getting back something you thought was lost, but only for it to be lost again right away. She could not just let it happen. There must be something that she could do. Maybe Fate was in trouble, or maybe she had snuck back to the warship without saying goodbye, like the last time.

Thinking back to their short reunion in the Headquarter this afternoon, some things were strange then. From the way Shario and Fate talked, it almost felt like they were hiding something, or planning something.

Could it be that? But then what were they planning?

There were thousands of questions in Nanoha's head, and she was so frustrated with herself that she was not smarter, that she did not know Fate just a bit better.

What she did not realize was, they do understand each other well, probably just second to themselves.

But perhaps, it was because they had known each other so well, that they did not know each other well.

"I will go with you."

Hayate was by Nanoha's side the second she jumped up. She looked concerned as well, but she was much calmer than Nanoha.

Nanoha nodded, and they went out into the dark night, heading straight toward the Harlawon residence.

Hayate was always like that in cases of emergency. It was part of her personality, and part of her job. The only times Nanoha actually saw Hayate losing her cool was when the shorter girl thought her family was killed, and when Reinforce ended her own live.

She was similar to Hayate, in the sense that both were good at managing their own emotions. But that was mostly to the others. They were very open to talk about what they feel and even cry on their close friends and family's shoulders.

Fate, on the other hand, seemed to be the opposite.

She rarely broke down in front of her friends. But when facing criminals like Scaglietti, and others who attempted on human experiments, her mood was easy to temper with.

Nanoha knew this. She had heard it from Arf about Fate's past, as the blonde did not exactly tell them all the tortures she went through, but rather choose to describe the warm and mirthful memory inherited from Alicia. She had also witnessed the girl reaching out to Precia and being rejected even until the last moment.

She accepted it as part of Fate. She loved that part of her along with all her merits and defects.

But sometimes she still wanted to shake her out of the somberness that isolates her from them every once in a while.

At those times Nanoha would feel angry with herself for not being able to take away the pain, but at the same time she realized it was Fate's moments she had to face alone. It was not something that could be resolved with a Starlight Breaker or two.

Fate had her way to deal with things, and Nanoha had a different way. Her world consisted of mostly simple black-or-white problems. Talk first, and shoot if her opponent did not listen. Do not get killed, and protect the others so they don't get killed. It was not as complicated as what Fate and Hayate had to consider when they deal with their problems.

She could not use her mindsets to solve the other two's problems. Simple as that.

What she could do, and also probably what matters the most, was that she would always be there for them. She would trust them without reasons if they know what they are doing. She would correct them if she thought they did something absolutely wrong. And.

She would reach out to them, no matter what, no matter when, no matter how.

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When they arrived at the Harlawon residence, it was dead silent.

Nanoha exchanged a glance with Hayate, and set up Raising Heart. The shorter girl smiled, and pressed on the doorbell.

Nothing.

She waited for a full minute, and tried again.

But still, there was nothing.

Hayate nodded to Nanoha, and slowly reached out to the handle.

It was unlocked.

They exchanged glances again, before Hayate pushed open the door, slowly as well.

The light was off, and it was so quiet that they could hear their own breathing. _That_ was very strange.

The Harlawon twins are not the quiet type, and for that the house is always bustling with laughter and noise. They are even more energetic in holidays, or when Chrono or Fate came home from their missions. There was no reason this house should be this quiet at this time.

Nanoha stepped in first, followed by Hayate. They walked as quietly and cautiously as possible down the corridor, not missing anything out of ordinary.

But the strangest thing was that nothing was out of place.

There were no signs of forced entry or struggle in the house. The furniture was exactly where and how they remembered. The rooms were clear, the beds even made properly.

They had been in this house enough time that they knew every single detail here, and the only thing missing was the picture of the Harlawon family in the living room.

It was like the whole family just suddenly disappeared.

"Nanoha-chan."

Nanoha heard Hayate calling to her. She turned, and saw the still calm but much heavier expression. She was gesturing to a certain room – Fate's room.

She nodded, and walked toward the place she had been countless times. Her grip on Raising Heart tightened. The device, as if feeling its master's emotion, shone dimly and reported to her.

"Area cleared. My mater, there is no sign of any life form within the distance of two hundred meters radius."

Nanoha paused.

It was Raising Heart's way of reassuring her that everything is okay. The device had done the best it could for her, and now it was her term, to do the best.

"Thank you."

She whispered, and pushed open the door to Fate's room.

Even though she knew there was no one there, she still tried to be as quiet as possible.

Nanoha remembered the last time she had been in this room. How long ago was it? Two year? Or maybe five? She was not sure. Fate had moved in with her after the Riot Force Six was disbanded, and this room had remained untouched ever since. The last time, if she remembered correctly, was when they came to move some clothes and personal belongings to their shared apartment.

But she could still close her eyes and describe every inch of Fate's old room. And that was why, at first glance, she noticed the piece of folded paper sitting on the desk.

She picked it up and turned to Hayate, whose expression was even heavier, perhaps even more than when the final battle in the JS Incident took place.

Nanoha opened it up with shaking hands – the whole time, Hayate just watched in silence, her face unreadable.

Something dropped to the ground, and both looked down.

Nanoha felt her vision blurred.

It was the house key of their shared apartment. She knew it not because she recognized the shape of the key. It was because of the key chain. Fate put a small photo of them – Vivio, Nanoha, and herself – on the key chain.

She said, that way, no matter what happened, she would always find a way back to them. Because the picture would remind her of a place, and the people to go back to.

Nanoha could clearly remember the gentleness and shyness of the voice, and the almost childish satisfaction on the blonde's face, when she said it to her.

She looked down to the paper. She knew what was written on it already. She knew it would hurt – she was already hurting – but still she read it, because it was Fate's words to her, to them, to the life that was once theirs.

There was only a simple line.

_I'm sorry_.

The Harlawon family was gone.

Fate was gone.

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* * *

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Hayate knew this day would come, sooner or later.

She had realized that when she took up the commander position of the Special Defense Unit. She knew she would probably end up on the wrong side, doing the wrong thing. She knew those…

But she never thought things would become like this.

Fate was gone. She did not exactly know why, but she had a feeling it had something to do with what happened on the Ground of Mid-Childa, and perhaps what they discovered in the ruins of the old world.

She was afraid. The idea that she might need to fight her best friends terrified her. But the idea that she could not protect them even if she chose their side terrified her even more.

Besides, she was not alone in this. There were others on the Ground she needed to help.

But still, she never quite convinced herself whether what she was doing was right. It was her conclusion after weeks and months of thinking, but could there be something she just forgot to consider that would turn the situation around?

Maybe, but now it was too late to change. The table was set, and the schemes under the table would reveal themselves at any moment.

The only way to know whether she had chosen right or wrong, was to keep going.

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When they returned to the Yagami residence, Signum was waiting for them by the door.

Just one look from the knight, and Hayate knew what they were all afraid of had happened. The subtle balance had been broken, and she had to choose, right now.

She took a deep breath, and turned to look at her best friend. Nanoha had sensed something, that Hayate could tell as well.

It made things a little bit easier, but she still found it hard to say the words she had rehearsed several times before.

"Nanoha-chan?"

The other girl said nothing.

Hayate was not certain, whether the expression on her face was understanding, or was it pure tiredness of everything happening at a night that was supposed to be memorable.

It hurt more than she cared to admit to say the words, to part with her friends like this. But she had to do it.

"It might be better for you to bring Vivio home."

_It is not safe for you to be here anymore_.

She hoped Nanoha could catch her meaning. When she planned it, she was certain the chestnut-haired girl would be able to. But now she was actually saying it, she was suddenly not confident about it anymore.

She watched in silence for Nanoha's next move, just like back in the Harlawon residence, in Fate's room. Back there, she did nothing, because she was in no position to do so. Right here, she still could not reach out, because she needed Nanoha to realize, they were not on the same line anymore.

Nanoha looked back to Hayate, her eyes calm, but there were sparkles of light inside.

It looked like reflections of light on liquid.

But was it? Before she could be sure, Nanoha had turned away her gaze and simply nodded at her and walked past her.

Hayate sighed.

When Nanoha was out of hearing distance, she turned to Signum.

"What happened?"

She was asking what was it that broke the peace. What was it that took away the last night of them being together.

Signum lowered her head, and called forth a window to show it to her mistress.

"That was from ten minutes ago. Shamal found out about it, but we were too far away to stop it."

Hayate shuddered as she quickly scanned through the report.

"Anybody else know this yet?"

Her fist clenched tight on her side as she saw one of the images on the report. It was an awful sight. She would not forgive the person who made such a scene.

But even as anger and grief arose within her, and she felt like crying, she remained controlled. It was the requirement of being a commander – to not let your emotion cloud your judgments, and make the most logical and suitable decisions about the situation.

"No."

Signum looked at her mistress, carefully.

"But from the pieces of information we managed to wiretap, they are not even trying to hide it. This will be all over the news the next morning."

Hayate fell silent. She considered her options. Should she notify Nanoha?

No. With what happened tonight, this news was perhaps too much for her to take right now. Let her recover tonight, and then she will know about it, regardless of whether Hayate wanted her to or not.

She wiped away the warm droplets that had fallen without her permission.

"Signum… would you do something for me?"

She whispered, for the first time in a long time, sounding like a powerless little girl who was lost.

The Knight of Flame nodded, and put a right hand in front of her left chest.

"Anything."

Hayate smiled weakly.

"Please make sure Nanoha-chan and Vivio get home safely, will you?"

The knight nodded again. She had always been serious, but this time she had taken this request from her lord with the determination that was even rare for her. Hayate knew, tonight, the knight would protect the family… no, more precisely, what remained of the family.

She watched the knight turned around to get prepared to escort the mother and the daughter.

And the need, the urge of telling the knight about what they realized in the Harlawon residence just exploded in her chest. She knew that if she did not say, Signum would not ask. But after reading the report, after seeing the flash of remorse in her eyes, Hayate just could not hide it anymore.

"Signum,"

She called, and the knight stopped to turn and look at her mistress.

She showed only the slightest rue in the usual calmness. But it was enough to make Hayate's eyes water.

Her voice cracked.

"Fate-chan is not coming back."

The knight lowered her head in grief, but only for a short moment. She looked up to her almost crying mistress, and smiled gently. It was perhaps one of the gentlest smiles Hayate had ever seen from Signum, and it was also one of the saddest.

"I know."

She said, and led Nanoha and Vivio – who just walked out of the living room in silence – toward the door.

It was the end of the life as they knew it.

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* * *

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When they became live-long friends at the age of nine, they were still the purest.

It is not to say they had lost their purity after all the years of working at the Bureau. No, they had grown from their experiences and shone even brighter, but those never changed who they are and their shared wish.

It is a little wish, so simple and innocent that people would laugh upon hearing it.

As years gone by and the world become more complicated, the little wish had become harder and harder to realize. But they never give up on it.

They still hold that wish in their heart as a treasure, and they still find passion and strength whenever they think about the wish.

The wish, in a way, bonded them together. The three so similar yet so different girls.

They are like the primary colors.

Together, they could do a lot of things.

But not anything and everything anymore.

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(To be continued…)

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A/N:

I had another version of this chapter, but I like this one much better, so here it goes!

Fortunately I finished all my exams, so I planned on writing as many chapters as I can during the Christmas break, before the inspiration dies out.

Next chapter is the epilogue of the first season, and if you are confused about what happened in this chapter, maybe the epilogue will explain a little (and makes you wonder even more!)

And just curious, anyone wants to see the timeline of the first series? If so, I will include it in the author's note in the epilogue chapter, since it is a short chapter anyway.

By the way, I think I might have looped the song fifty times or more non-stop as I wrote this. But it is still touching. What do you think?

Anyway, until the next time :)


	15. Epilogue

Disclaimer: This story has absolutely nothing to do with the actual MGLN series after StrikeS. I own nothing but my own poor imagination.

A/N: Happy New Age.

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**Epilogue – Before the Storm**

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Before storms, there are always hints.

Experienced sailors could tell the coming of a storm from the shape of the clouds, the taste in the wind, and even through the color of the sky.

They would know if a storm is heading their way.

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Chrono Harlawon stumbled out from a forest on the rural part of the central Mid-Childa.

He was a mess. The usually shiny and polished admiral uniform was torn everywhere. The man was pale beyond normal. The breath was shallow and irregular. And the body was shaking, badly. The world around was merely foggy colors. Physically or mentally, he would collapse any moment. The only thing that kept him moving was pure fortitude.

He needed to get help.

Ah, yes. His family was waiting for him, and there was no time to waste.

The idea had supported him all the way back here. He had whispered those words again and again to himself even until his throat felt so dry it hurt. He had forced himself to remember their faces, until they became nothing but blurred images.

He tripped over a branch and fell hard. His face hit the ground. It hurt, but there was not enough energy left to even curse. Well, at least the pain at least shook him out of the chaos in his head. He pushed himself up from the ground, and looked around. It was the familiar sight of Mid-Childa.

It should be safe here. The enemy would not dare to act with the risk of exposing themselves.

He took a deep breath, trying to concentrate, and called forth the greatest spell he know with all the strength left in him. The spell caused bright explosions in the night sky.

"Please, somebody notice that…"

He murmured under his breath, praying for the power that saved him numerous times before to work its magic again.

It was beautiful, like firework.

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It was only few minutes afterward that Chrono heard footsteps approaching and saw figures in blue and white uniforms shot across the night sky.

And he wanted to laugh.

He made it. He was safe now. There was hope after all. Tears of joy threatened to spill out from his bloodshot eyes, but Chrono resisted them. It was not time to relax yet. Until he saves them, he could not rest even for one second.

The aerial combat mages landed around him strategically, pointing the business end of their weapon at him.

Chrono raised both his hands to the air slowly, showing that he meant no harm.

The majority of the mages either recognized him, or they sensed what happened to him was a more important matter than the fact that he just summoned a spell that could blow up a building. Several still looked at him suspiciously, but that was fine. Chrono put both his hands behind his head and turned around slowly, allowing the mages to see that he was not hiding anything that could hurt them.

And finally, a man who looked like the commander of the squadron stepped out from the circle, and lowered his weapons.

"Who are you, and what is your intention of summoning such a strong spell in the city of Mid-Childa?"

Chrono cleared his throat to answer.

But before he could begin, the sounds of roaring engines approached them from behind. They all turned to look.

It was a truck. A truck with the symbol of the Ground embedded on its side. Once the truck was pulled to a halt, several men jumped off from the truck, and quickly surrounded Chrono and the Air Force mages. The commander of the Air Force squadron frowned at that, and stepped away from Chrono.

"What are you people doing here?"

He questioned the nearest soldier.

But the soldier ignored him. He looked at the truck door, motionless, emotionless. So were the others.

Chrono and the mages followed their gazes to the still open truck door.

A man appeared from the truck. And instantly, the Ground Force men all stood at attention in one swift motion.

"Well, well. So what we got here?"

The albino skin. The bloodthirsty red eyes.

Chrono recognized the man. He had come to learn about this man when Yagami Hayate applied to be transferred to the Special Defense Unit. The infamous Lieutenant-General hated everything about the Navy and magic.

He had warned Hayate then, that the man was dangerous. There _had_ to be some other ways for her to achieve whatever she wanted to achieve. Deal with that man and offend him somehow, and you might not see the sunshine of tomorrow.

Thinking back to the time he spent trying to persuade her Vindexta was someone you better off to avoid for the life time… what an irony. Now he stood here, and needed his help.

He cleared his throat again, and all eyes refocused on him.

"I am Admiral Chrono Harlawon."

Even with the attempt, his voice still came out rough. He cleared his throat again unnaturally, and did his best to control his voice and his body so neither of them shook.

"It was me who summoned the powerful spell, which was only intended to catch your attention such that I could ask for your help."

The Air Force mages exchanged curious and worried looks, but the Ground force soldiers did not so much as blink at Chrono's words. They remained motionless and emotionless. The only man among them to react was Vindexta. And he just hummed delightfully for a few seconds, before a smirk broke out on his face.

"Oh really, you do?"

Everyone fell silent.

For a short moment Chorno could not understand what the man just said. Maybe the fatigue of travelling finally caught up with him, he did not know. The words took longer than anything to register to him.

And when they did, the anger exploded in his chest.

_How dare this man smirking like this? He knew nothing_…

He clenched his fists tight, but released them quickly. The second thought calmed him down.

That's right, this man knew nothing. Not only that, the Ground and the Navy did not exactly get along well. Maybe it was expected that Vindexta should smirk at his words.

Once he realized how bad the situation was, he would agree to help him. Wouldn't he?

And before that was done, Chrono would endure anything rude and disrespectful the man says or does. Even if he had to kneel down before him and kiss his dirty shoes, he would do it without hesitation.

Because he needed to get help. Right now.

Chrono took a deep breath, and stepped closer to Vindexta. He managed with the last bit of authority and dignity he had, and made himself sound as sincere as possible. He did not know if it would work, but at least he had to try.

"Lieutenant-General, you don't understand. It's an emergency…"

"I don't care."

But the man took none of it.

And Chrono realized. The problem was not how he had asked for help. Vindexta had no intention of helping him at all, even if it was a matter of saving the world from the apocalypse. He just so simply despised him that he would not offer a hand of friendship.

For the first time since his escape, Chrono felt helpless.

He turned around, looking at the mages desperately for some support. To his comfort, they seemed shock and angry with the albino man's attitude as well. However, to his distress, they did nothing about it. Because they were soldiers, and Vindexta was at the higher end of this rope.

The damn bureaucracy.

He cursed in his heart.

"Please, listen to me, this is an emergency."

Well then, if he could not get Vindexta to help him, at least he could let these people knew what happened to him. They could report it to their superiors, and if there was really hope left on this world, those people would do something about it.

If there was still hope on this world, his people would be saved.

"The Bureau has been-"

But he could say no more.

_Bang!_

A loud noise and a sharp pain shot through Chrono's body. And he looked down disbelieving at a hole the size of a grown man's fist in his midsection. His last bit of energy and live flew freely like a small river out of the body.

He looked up.

And it was that moment Tory Vindexta shot him again, with the still smoking pistol.

Chrono fell down in silence.

_I'm sorry_. It was the only thought before he fell into total darkness. _I'm so sorry_…

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Vindexta looked at the lifeless body with satisfaction.

The dead man had reminded him so much of his old friend Admiral Onara, and he was utterly disgusted by it. No, he did not know Admiral Harlawon personally, but what did it matter to him? Vindexta had since long proven to himself that all people in the Navy were the same. If he was given another chance, he would repeat what he did in no time.

He would not let anyone interfere with his bright plan of revolution. No one.

"What have you done?!"

A shocked voice snapped him out of his moment of superiority and pleasure. He groaned and looked toward the voice. It was the commander of the squadron.

Ah, he almost forgot about these people.

The uniform of blue and white brought back yet another piece of unpleasant memory. Vindexta felt more grumpy than usual, and so he answered tauntingly.

"What? Just getting rid of a piece of useless garbage."

The captain seemed stupefied at first, but soon turned furious. He and his people all raised their staffs to Vindexta threateningly. The upset look on the captain's face reminded him even more of his other old friend.

"Lieutenant-General Tory Vindexta, drop your weapon now. You are placed under arrest for the murder of Admiral Chrono Harlawon. Do you hear me? Drop it now!"

The seriousness in his words, too, reminded him of that friend.

Vindexta smirked again. He raised his hand with the pistol slowly above his head. The whole time looking at the captain teasingly.

The mages did not move. They were all focused on the pistol, watching it being hold high, and released –

Well. Vindexta though to himself. He did not suppose it could be hidden any longer, could it.

– and gunshots blasted throughout the midnight air.

He turned to _his_ people with a contented smile. It was the Capital Defense Crops, the soldiers he personally chosen and trained to execute his plan. Right now, each one of them had a rifle in their hands that was hidden when they arrived. It was those weapons that shot down the unprepared aerial mages.

"Good job."

He said.

The painful moans from the wounded mages sounded like bugging background noises. It agitated him, and so he waved a hand, and his men walked up with the rifles in their hands to the injured, and…

Lives were taken, so simply, so insignificantly.

"Oh, wait a moment there."

He stopped the last man from finishing off a young mage who was only slightly injured.

Killing all of them would alleviate the irritation he felt alright, but what was the fun of that?

He walked up to the young mage, and inspected him thoroughly. He rubbed his chin while thinking. The young man looked frightened, but not so much to death…

Interesting. He laughed, and kicked the young man at the stomach, where he was wounded.

"Be my messenger, boy."

Vindexta ignored the harrowing cry of the young man, and grabbed him by his hair to lift him up. Without waiting for the man to regain balance, he pushed him toward the waiting hands of four of his followers, who half-dragged and half-carried him up.

Vindexta waved a hand, gesturing toward a bridge nearby. The four men nodded, and lifted the injured up toward the bridge.

"Tell them – it is time for revolution."

And with that, the four men tossed the young mage off the bridge. The scream only lasted for three seconds or last, before it was replaced by splashing of water. Vindexta laughed, and raised another pistol, purposefully aiming near the young mage but not toward him.

"Fly, little bird. Fly for your live!"

As if on cue, the four men who stood by the bridge raised their weapons as well and started shooting. The mage struggled frantically, but failed to lift himself up from the water for the first few tries.

"Try harder, you fool!"

Vindexta shouted, and a bullet barely missed the young man's left ear. He struggled again and again in the water, floating for a second and sinking for the next. Until finally the adrenaline kicked in, and he was able to to call forth his magic again. He shot out from the river, his body shivering partly from the coldness and partly from the shock. He was panting heavily as water and blood fell down from his toes by gravity.

"You will get what you deserve."

He spitted the words to Vindexta. Then, with despicable look to the brown uniform men, and one last sorrowful look to the dead bodies of Chrono and his colleagues, he flied away as fast as he could, towards safety.

Vindexta smirked. Oh he would.

He snapped his finger impatiently, and a blue-haired girl came running toward him.

"Call the others. It's time for us to rise."

The girl nodded silently, and ran to a truck waiting.

For years, Tory Vindexta had been contacting leaders of other administrated worlds – the ones who had lost something, or the ones who had wanted something more. He had been negotiating with them, promising them for a better future if they support him with researches on illegal mass weapon research and production. It was simple. Help him to gain control of the world and destroy the magic system, and they would become the most powerful and the richest people. They would no longer need to listen to the Bureau, and they would have their own troops and weapons to defend themselves.

It was beneficial to both sides, and to this stage the plan was very successful.

A soldier walked up to him, looking slightly uncertain.

"Lieutenant-General, what do we do with these bodies?"

Yes, slightly. But his people were not supposed to hesitate at all. It was for a greater good. It was for a world that would be free of the burden of the weakness of mankind. For that, none of his troop should doubt, and none of them should _feel_.

Vindexta just measured the soldier, with a bit of amusement. Maybe this was a foul piece. He thought. Better to make another use of it than placing it near him.

The soldier, as if sensing the unfortunate path waiting, quickly collected the excess of emotion that was deemed needless. No more words were said, until Vindexta turned to leave, uninterested of this particular soldier anymore.

"Leave them here. We are not responsible for cleaning up trash."

He waved a hand impatiently, and walked toward another truck. He paused for a second before getting on it, and looked back to the neutral expression with sinister smile.

"The vultures will take care of it for us."

Vindexta could not wait until tomorrow. He knew that when people woke up the next morning, they would find the world turned to a complete strange place from what they knew. They would hear the news of the Ground Force announcing itself separated from the Time-Space Administration Bureau under his leadership.

He was eager to see the expression on the faces of those people who believed the Bureau could last for their life time. He wondered how the horror of reality would wrench the faith in those people, and how would they cry for mercy when his troop destroy their hope?

It would be priceless.

Vindexta couldn't wait for it. It was like waiting to see the presents before the Christmas night.

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* * *

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Before storms, there are always hints.

Experienced sailors could tell from the shape of the clouds, the taste in the wind, and even through the color of the sky.

They would know if a storm is heading their way.

That night, riots arose everywhere. Houses were burned down, innocent people were killed, and faith was lost –

Sailors could tell whether a storm is heading their way, but they cannot stop it.

- and the war began.

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**End of The Three – Before the Storm**

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A/N:

Thank you very much for your undying support of The Three. I will start the new series soon (hopefully). That is, if I don't stuff myself with too many Christmas dinner XD

I hope you all a warm, joyful, and peaceful holiday!


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